Soil protection: measures and how to rationally use

Nature creates soil for thousands of years, millimeter by millimeter forming a fertile layer capable of giving life to millions of plants. Mankind can destroy all this we alth in a matter of moments. That is why in recent decades, society has taken care to protect the soil, otherwise we risk being left without the main sources of food for ourselves and farm animals.

What is soil conservation?

The main reason that encourages humanity to take up soil protection is the threat posed by pollution of land resources. The condition of the soil affects a variety of factors, from environmental pollution to reduced fertility, from the accumulation of toxic substances and microorganisms to the violation of the ecological balance.All this negatively affects the lives of hundreds of thousands and millions of people.

The state of the environment and soil in particular depends on what nature management people have chosen:

1. Irrational.
2. Rational.

Rational nature management is a harmony between man and nature, a competent and careful attitude to the gifts of the planet. Under him, people not only treat the environment with love, but also make efforts to maintain the existing balance, take measures to ensure that future generations enjoy clean and he althy soils and other natural resources.

Rational methods include:

1. Care for renewable resources.
2. Frugal attitude to non-renewable resources.
3. Mineral mining with minimal impact on nature.
4. Preservation of flora and fauna, including through the creation of nature reserves, reserves, protected areas.
5. Introducing advanced agricultural practices to minimize the harmful effects of human activities.
6. Reuse of raw materials and waste.
7. Caring for ecological balance.

The irrational approach lies in a predatory, consumerist attitude towards nature, when momentary benefit and necessity are taken into account. A vivid example of such an attitude is deforestation and uncontrolled plunder of mineral resources, waste dumping into water bodies, pollution of drinking water sources, outdated farming methods and much more.

Pollution of the biosphere and the destruction of ecosystems, a barbarous attitude towards natural values adversely affect the condition of soils, which rebounds on humanity, leading to the depletion of fertile lands, reduced productivity, erosion, weathering, salinization, contamination with hazardous substances.This threatens with terrible consequences in the future, including diseases, famine, environmental and natural disasters.

Major environmental issues

There are many reasons for the destruction of soil resources, and most of them are related to human activities.

Erosion

Soil forms and regenerates on its own much more slowly than its degradation and destruction caused by erosion. Its main types:

1. Water.
2. Wind.
3. Gulping.

All types of erosion lead to soil depletion and thinning of the fertile layer, disturb the relief and make the land unsuitable for agriculture.

Secondary salinization

This is the process of oversaturation of arable soils with minerals during irrigation.This happens due to the fact that irrigation is carried out with water with a high content of trace elements or due to the rise of mineralized groundwater during irrigation. Also, a similar result is obtained when the soil is drained.

Salinization has a negative effect on plant growth, which leads to a decrease in agricultural efficiency.

Soil pollution

This process can be caused by the following reasons:

1. Inorganic production and human waste.
2. Technological and industrial, transport emissions.
3. Accumulation of heavy metals, radioactive components, pesticides.

Soil pollution poses a double threat: negatively affecting plant growth and negatively affecting population he alth, as plants absorb substances from poisoned soil that provoke diseases in people and animals that feed on fruits from such lands.

What activities are carried out for the sanitary protection of the soil?

For the effectiveness of sanitary protection of soils, it is necessary to use a set of measures aimed at preventing all types of negative impacts on them.

Legislative

In order for soil protection to be effective, it is necessary to adopt laws at the state and global level. Each country has its own legislative acts, which are designed to formulate ways to protect soils and pen alties for their violation.

At the international level, such laws are also adopted and enforced. In particular, the UN Environmental Commission is engaged in this together with the actions of the World He alth Organization.

Technological

The following technological methods are used to protect soils, aimed at solving the following problems:

1. Clean up used fluids before disposal.
2. Air Emission Cleanup.
3. Recycle waste.
4. Transportation and storage of raw materials, products and waste, eliminating the negative impact on the environment and soil in particular.
5. Removal and storage of the arable layer during the construction of industrial enterprises.
6. The use of advanced technologies that reduce the environmental burden.

The development of methods aimed at creating zero-waste or low-waste enterprises, as well as waste processing, is the most promising method of doing business.

Plumbing

These measures include the collection, storage, transportation, disposal and processing of liquid and solid industrial and domestic waste.

Liquid waste includes sewage, including storm water, sewage liquids, household liquid waste. Solid waste is more diverse and includes not only household and street garbage, but also medical waste, carcasses and body parts of animals, slag, food waste and materials of non-food origin.

Liquid waste requires pre-treatment before reuse or disposal. Solid waste is sorted, some is sent for recycling, some is sent to landfills or incinerators.

Planning

These activities consist in the selection of zones for the construction of treatment facilities, the creation of sanitary protection zones between them and populated areas planned for settlement, places of water intake. Also, such events consist in planning and laying the routes for the movement of specialized vehicles.

Scientific

These activities are related to the development of hygienic standards for assessing the sanitary condition of the soil in case of chemical and biological pollution.

Efficiency

To achieve a global result on the conservation and protection of soils, coordinated action across the planet is needed. It should include a full range of measures aimed at versatile protection of soil resources. Moving only in one direction and solving problems in fragments, it is difficult to achieve results. It is necessary to combine the scattered efforts of individual branches of government and the state as a whole with technical and scientific developments.

Education of land users and the formation of a culture of agriculture of the new millennium, which consists in the careful and conscious use of resources, play an important role.Restoring soil fertility is much more difficult and longer than trying to protect what we have at the moment.

To achieve success, it is necessary to use the full range of measures, only then can we count on the effectiveness of protection. All levels should be involved in the work - from an individual to state structures.

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