Question

Give reasons for the following.

We need to conserve soil as a natural resource.

Answer 1

1. Preserve fertile topsoil so crops can grow. Loss of the topsoil removes nutrients and reduces agricultural productivity.
2. Maintain and raise groundwater (better percolation), vegetation and soil structure help water soak into the ground and sustain the water table.
3. Keep vegetation cover and prevent desertification and more frequent droughts healthy soil supports plants that stabilize the landscape and the local climate.
4. Prevent silting of rivers and canals and reduce downstream flooding eroded soil carried into channels causes siltation that worsens floods and blocks waterways.
5. Reduce landslides and slope failure in hilly areas intact soil and plant roots bind slopes and lower the risk of mass wasting.
6. Keep long-term food security and economic well‑being soil loss lowers yields, hurts farmers’ incomes, and threatens a stable food supply.
7. Retain soil functions (nutrient cycling, organic-matter decomposition, pollutant breakdown) healthy soil recycles wastes and maintains fertility.
8. Soil regenerates very slowly, so losses are effectively permanent on human timescales. Conservation preserves a resource that would otherwise take many years to replace.