Soils at risk of accelerated erosion in England and Wales

Abstract. The 296 soil associations of the National Soil Map of England and Wales are placed into five categories of erosion risk. These are based on land use, landform and soil properties and take into account the extent of erosion in the uplands, and its frequency, extent and rates in the lowlands. Erosion of arable land is by water or wind, but in the uplands frost action and disturbance by sheep are also important. A large proportion of arable England (36%) is at moderate to very high risk of erosion, including much of the better drained and more easily worked land, especially sandy soils. In the uplands thin soils or deep peats are most at risk. If land use changes, because of increasing intensification of agriculture or in response to climatic changes, many soil associations will become more at risk of erosion.