3 Ways that soil erosion negatively affects both wetlands and grasslands
Soil erosion is currently one of the biggest problems facing both Lesotho’s grasslands and its natural wetlands. Erosion, if left untreated could have a massive impact on the biodiversity of the land, intensify the impact of climate change, and may negatively affect the livelihoods of the humans that live in these areas.
Here are 3 ways in which soil erosion can negatively affect both wetlands and grasslands:
- Habitat destruction: land systems are home to a variety of animal species, these include amphibians like frogs, fish, mammals and birds. As the land becomes more degraded, the amount of wildlife in the area dwindles as they may not have enough food to sustain them, nor water to nourish them.
- The Soil Exposure Cycle: Over the years, vegetation may become washed or blown away through erosion. This results in a lack of fertility of the soil and in turn produces less vegetation. Due to this, even large amounts of soil becomes washed away from both grasslands and wetlands resulting in them producing less vegetation – and the cycle continues.
- A decrease in water quality: The more soil gets washed away from the land, the more it increases the chances of it landing up in water sources. The result of soil in our water sources means that the quality of water suffers and in can mean that dams fill with silt and therefore hold less water. This not only has an impact on human lives, but on animal life as well.
Reducing the level of soil erosion and curbing its impact is one of the primary focuses of the ReNOKA movement. By encouraging better farming practices, communities could see their land become fertile again, better grazing opportunities for farmers improve their yields, encourage tourism, and a higher quality of water for locals.
What’s more is that by gearing up communities to put into place the best practices to revive the land in which we live, we can restore the flow of water in the Orange-Senqu River basin.
As the water tower of Southern Africa, maximising the flow of water to our own people and to our neighbouring countries is a top priority that reaps financial and social benefits. But getting to see those benefits starts with you. Although you may not think it, your behaviour affects the land around you.
Join the ReNOKA movement today and you could be part of Lesotho’s prosperity. Find out more here: https://renoka.org/get-involved/
