What is soil erosion? Mention two main causes of it.

Soil erosion is the process of the eroding of the soil from one place to another. It mainly takes place in landscape areas. When the large part of the soil is eroded away, it affects the large of plantation and habitat.

Causes of soil erosion

• Afforestation

Soil erosion occurs mainly because of the reduction in the capacity of the soil to hold water. The main agent that holds back the soil during surface run-off is trees. Deforestation and indiscriminate cutting of trees have resulted in the erosion of topsoil. Thus afforestation and reforestation is the main way through which land degradation and soil erosion can be prevented. Planting trees helps in holding back the topsoil and reduces the impact of surface run-off to a very large extent.

• Overgrazing

Overgrazing should be avoided to maintain the grass covering of land. Overgrazing can result in the loss of grass cover in the topsoil. Loss of grasslands results in soil erosion by natural agents of air and water. Thus proper fencing must be made and common resources must be protected to maintain the quality of land and its green cover.