Conservation and land management are important facets of maintaining the quality of life that we live these days. This is because the ways through which land is managed has the potential to impact the quality of water that we have these days in rivers, streams, wetlands and lakes etc. For this reason, it is necessary for ample attention to be paid to good land management so that the quality of these water bodies can be protected both now and in times to come.
Poor conservation and land management – the outcomes
According to unlimited engineering consultant, practices that lead to poor or low-quality land management have the potential to trigger excessive erosion and soil loss. Apart from that, it can also lead to:
- Degradation of the quality of soil
- Losing any and all nutrients found in fertilizers
- Having contaminants and animal effluents deposited straight into the different water bodies
- Discharge of waste and sewage straight into waterways
For those who don’t know, waste, sewage, sediments and effluents are basically strong contaminants and their exposure to our waterways can cause severe problems in water bodies. These problems are inclusive of:
- A massive increase in the growth of aquatic weed
- Sea life found in coastal areas and estuaries can suffer from several harmful effects
- Massive flooding and blockages that might occur downstream
- The onset of murky water that can impact native fish and insects as their habitats can get destroyed, the gills of fish in the water can get clogged and their ability to hunt and feed can get affected negatively
- Presence of pathogens and other contaminants including pesticides that can trigger several health issues and make the water unfit for any use whatsoever
The worst part is that inadequate land management can also trigger issues with production. This is because the soil that is lost due to increased surface erosion impacts crop yield by removing the topsoil. What needs to be mentioned here is that it is the topsoil that is packed with nutrients that play a vital role in the growth of plants, and once lost, these nutrients cannot be replaced. This deems it all the more necessary for proper attention to be given to land management and conservation efforts.
Importance of conservation and land management
Proper conservation and land management is basically focused on working out the ways in which lands such as farms can be properly managed as a means of enhancing their soil and raising the quality of the water bodies around them. This can easily be achieved by making sure that proper conservation and land management practices are followed so that soil and nutrient loss can be prevented with waterways being properly managed. These steps will also help a great deal in ensuring that these lands are ready in case there is a need for construction project management on them.