Soil degradation by land use change in an agropastoral area in Sardinia (Italy) |
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Authors: | Claudio Zucca Annalisa Canu Franco Previtali |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Territorial Engineering-Nucleo Ricerca Desertificazione, University of Sassari, Italy;2. Institute of Biometeorology, National Research Council, Sassari, Italy;3. Department of Environmental Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy |
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Abstract: | In recent decades the clearing of Mediterranean maquis along with the creation of new pastures has been a major factor of land degradation in Sardinia (Italy). This was due to an inadequate implementation of agricultural policies. Consequently, tillage and water erosion intensified over a wide area. The present work assesses the impacts of land use change on soil properties in a representative area of central-eastern Sardinia. Paired forest and pasture sampling sites were selected in relation to present land use, land suitability, and land use history. Different soil properties were considered: physical (sand, silt, clay, soil thickness, bulk density, and penetration resistance), chemical (pH, OC, N, C/N, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CEC, and BS), biological (BQI), and micromorphological (microporosity and microstructure). The comparison of forest and pasture soils showed a significant soil loss (in terms of soil thickness, −22%), and a clear decrease in organic carbon storage (−64% on average). An increase in bulk density (+ 44%) and a change in microporosity and its vertical distribution were also observed, respectively by field measurements and micromorphological quantification on digital images. |
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Keywords: | Deforestation Agropastoral practices Soil erosion Soil organic carbon Microporosity BQI (Biological Quality Index) |
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