Soil erosion

The characterstics of natural ecosystems,such as forests and grasslands,depend on the type of soil,soils of various types support a wide variety of crops.The misue of an ecosystem leads to the loss of valuable soil through erison by the monsoon rains and to a smaller extent ,by wind .the roots of the trees in the streams,transported in to rivers and finally lost to the sea.The process is more washed away in to streams ,transported in to rivers and finally lost to the sea.The process is more evident in areas where deforestation has led to erosin on steep hil-slopes as in the Himalayas and in the western Ghats.These areas are called 'ecologicallysenstive areas'or ESAs.To pervent the lossof millions of tons of valuble soil every year,it is essential to preserve what remains of our natural forest cover.It is equally important to reforest denuded areas.The link between the existance of forests and the [resence of soil is greater than the forest's physical soil binding function alone.The soil is enricehd by the leaf-litter of the forest.This detruits is broken down by soil microorganisms.fungi,worms and insects,which help to recycle nutruebts in the system .Further losses of our soil wealth will improverish our countryand reduce its capacity to grow enough food in future.