Land Conservation with world development

Think about the world around you and how it has changed over the years. During most of our lifetimes, we have seen large changes in the environment around us. We may have seen forests be cut down for housing or farm fields be turned into a shopping center.

Although some of these changes are necessary for human survival, as we convert more and more natural land to developed land, there is a growing concern over the amount and quality of the natural land that remains. Some people are concerned that we are destroying all of our natural land, and in recent years, there has been a large push to protect our land.

Land conservation is the process of protecting natural land and returning developed land to its natural state. Humans have degraded a large portion of natural land. The field of land conservation has become popular as a way to fix this problem. Land conservation attempts to reduce land degradation through preservation, restoration, remediation, and mitigation, a variety of techniques are needed to carry out land conservation.

Preservation

Preservation of the environment means that lands and their natural resources should not be consumed by humans and should instead be maintained in their pristine form.

They think that the value of the land is not in what you can use from it but instead that land has an intrinsic value, meaning that it is valuable in itself simply by existing. Under this form of land conservation, humans would no longer be able to use certain land for human use but would be able to enjoy it for its natural beauty, which would help protect the land for many years to come.

Restoration

Another technique used in land conservation is restoration, which is the process of returning ecosystems and communities to their original natural conditions. In order to restore an ecosystem, scientists must first examine the current environment and do research to determine the historical conditions of the ecosystem. They want to determine what the environment was like before it was altered by humans. Once they have assessed the environment, scientists will develop methods to try to bring the area back to its original state.

Remediation

Remediation is the process of cleaning a contaminated area using relatively mild or nondestructive methods. The main goal of remediation is to clean and restore the contaminated area while causing as little disturbance or harm as possible. Scientists often use a variety of methods for remediation, including chemical, physical, and biological methods to remove contamination.

Mitigation

Another technique used in land conservation is mitigation, which is the process of replacing a degraded site with a healthy site that is of equal ecological value in a different location. The purpose of mitigation is to compensate for destroying one area by purchasing or creating a new area that is of equal ecological value.

Causes of land damages

l  Rain and rainwater runoff: In a particular heavy rain, soil erosion is common. First of all, the water starts to break down the soil, dispersing the materials it is made of.

l  Slope of the land: The physical characteristics of the land can also contribute to soil erosion. For example, land with a high hill slope will perpetuate the process of rainwater or runoff saturation in the area, particularly due to the faster movement of the water down a slope.

l  Lack of vegetation: Plants and crops help maintain the structure of soils, reducing the amount of soil erosion. Areas with less naturally-occurring flora may be a hint that the soil is prone to erosion.

Effects of land damages

l  Poor drainage: Sometimes too much compaction with sand can lead to an effective crust that seals in the surface layer, making it even harder for water to pass through to deeper layers.

l  Loss of topsoil: Obviously, this is the biggest effect of soil erosion. Because topsoil is so fertile, if it is removed, this can cause serious harm to farmer’s crops or the ability to effectively work their land.

l  Soil compaction: When soil under the topsoil becomes compacted and stiff, it reduces the ability for water to infiltrate these deeper levels, keeping runoff at greater levels, which increases the risk of more serious erosion.

Land conservation methods

l  Careful tilling: Because tilling activity breaks up the structure of soil, doing less tilling with fewer passes will preserve more of the crucial topsoil.

Crop rotation: Plenty of crop rotation is crucial for keeping land happy and healthy. This allows organic matter to build up, making future plantings more fertile.

l  Inceased structure for plants: Introducing terraces or other means of stabilizing plant life or even the soil around them can help reduce the chance that the soil loosens and erodes. Boosting areas that are prone to erosion with sturdy plant life can be a great way to stave off future effects.

l  Water control: For those areas where soil erosion is predominantly caused by water – whether natural or man-made – specialized chutes and runoff pipes can help to direct these water sources away from the susceptible areas, helping stave off excess erosion

l  municipal planning to forest management many key initiatives for land conservation.

l  Natural vegitation ( grass, forest cover)

Land conservation, a priority of the Administration and the Executive Office of Energyand Environmental Affairs, is the protection of land with important resources for drinking water supplies, rare plants and wildlife, prime "working" farms and forestland, unique outdoor recreation sites, and the best remaining urban greenspace.

Group members

De Zoysa H.D.M(162613E)

Hewasinghe H.P.S.S (162412L)

Senanayake G.P.D.P (162667V)

Warnasuriya W.M.C.I (162713K)