Soil Erosion

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…hold the soil in position and prevent it from being washed away; * plants break the impact of a raindrop before it hits the soil, thus reducing its ability to erode; . Causes of soil degradation (% of degrading land)Area Deforestation fuel wood Overgrazing Agriculture Industrialisation Europe Africa North America Central America South America Asia Oceania World 38 14 4 22 41 40 12 30 - 13 - 18 5 6 - 7 23 49 30 15 28 26 80 35 29 24 66 45 26 27 8 28 9 - - - - - - 1 Source: World Resources Institute, 1990. & L R Oldeman et al, Wageningen, Holland, 1990.