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Soil Degradation in Peninsula Valdes: Causes, Factors, Processes, and Assessment Methods

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Book cover Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina

Part of the book series: Springer Earth System Sciences ((SPRINGEREARTH))

Abstract

In semiarid rangelands where the anthropogenic impact is currently increasing, as occurs in the rangelands of the Península Valdés, the detrimental impacts of soil degradation on land resources became really dramatic. This chapter presents a review on the current knowledge of soil degradation in the Península Valdés rangelands. Section 1 introduces the chapter, Sect. 2 focuses on soil degradation main processes, factors and causes, and Sect. 3 presents a review of soil degradation assessment methods and several soil degradation studies carried out since 1990 in the Península Valdés region. Water and wind erosion are the degradation processes that are most strongly evidenced. Major causes of soil degradation are attributed to a combination of climatic and anthropic factors, with overgrazing being perceived to be a major factor. Four key causes associated with overgrazing in the Península Valdés region rangelands are described: (1) Poor range management with respect to flock distribution and overstocking, (2) Limited access to information, (3) Top-down and largely ineffective government policy, and (4) Overdependence on grazing systems for sustained livelihoods. Assessment methods for assessing soil degradation include: expert judgment, remote sensing, productivity changes, field monitoring, pilot studies at farm level based on field criteria and expert opinion, and modeling.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the valuable suggestions made by Dr. Gerardo Bocco Verdinelli (UNAM) and Dr. Juan Esteban Panebianco (INCITAP). Also, Pablo Bouza y Andrés Bilmes provided valuable suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript. Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales from Argentina supplied the satellite images.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)—CCT Centro Nacional Patagónico (CENPAT), Boulevard Brown 2915, ZC: U9120ACD, Puerto Madry, Chubut, Argentina

    Paula D. Blanco, Leonardo A. Hardtke, Cesar M. Rostagno & Hector F. del Valle

  2. Institute of Environmental Studies (IES), University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia

    Gabriela I. Metternicht

Authors
  1. Paula D. Blanco
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  2. Leonardo A. Hardtke
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  3. Cesar M. Rostagno
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  4. Hector F. del Valle
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  5. Gabriela I. Metternicht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paula D. Blanco .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (CCT CONICET-CENPAT), Puerto Madryn, Argentina

    Pablo Bouza

  2. Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología (CCT CONICET- CENPAT), Puerto Madryn, Argentina

    Andrés Bilmes

Glossary

Erosivity

Potential ability of soil, regolith or other weathered material to be eroded by rain, wind, or surface runoff

Erodibility

Resistance of soils to erosion based on their physical and chemical characteristics such as soil texture, organic matter or structure)

Desert pavements

It is a desert surface covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments

Ecological sites

A distinctive kind of land with specific physical characteristics that differs from other kinds of land in its ability to produce a distinctive kind and amount of vegetation

Horton overland flow

Describes the tendency of water to flow horizontally across land surfaces when rainfall has exceeded infiltration capacity and depression storage capacity

Overgrazing

It occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods

Anthropic

Refers to being associated with humans, influenced by humans or taking place during human existence

Pattern

The arrangement and composition of the patches that compose a landscape

Trampling

The mechanical destruction and mortality of ground level vegetation by animals

Piosphere

The zone of influence of grazing on a region’s vegetation and soil

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Blanco, P.D., Hardtke, L.A., Rostagno, C.M., del Valle, H.F., Metternicht, G.I. (2017). Soil Degradation in Peninsula Valdes: Causes, Factors, Processes, and Assessment Methods. In: Bouza, P., Bilmes, A. (eds) Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Springer Earth System Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48508-9_8

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