Assessment of soil degradation in the Canary Islands (Spain)

In the Canary Islands a number of factors, both natural and induced by human activity, act on the fragile ecosystems and agricultural land to cause increasing problems with desertification and progressive degradation of soil productivity. the results of an assessment of soil degradation in the Canary Islands, The processes, causes and impacts, are presented in this paper. Although several processes and factors contribute to soil degradation in the Canary Islands, two have been found to exert a greater qualitative influence: (a) accelerated erosion (water and aeolian); (b) salinization-sodification (natural and induced by agricultural use). Approximately 40 per cent of the Canary Islands' land is undergoing rapid erosion. the factors involved May, be grouped into: natural erosion—torrential rainfall, sparse vegetation, high soil erodibility, rugged relief; and erosion due to human activities—unsuitable management of arable soils on the steep slopes, overgrazing and deforestation. About 60 per cent of the surface of the archipelago, including areas given over to intensive agriculture, is affected by salinization.The main factors responsible are: natural—an arid climate and a regime of oceanic winds; and human activities—overexploitation of the aquifers, irrigation with water having a high salt and/or sodium content, intensive monoculture, and excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals.