The soil is our planet’s delicate skin that harbors all life. It holds a complex and dynamic ecosystem comprising countless species and resources essential to our survival. It’s the fragile film from which biodiversity springs and prospers.
However, as the demand for agriculture commodities rises, forests and grasslands are converted into pastures and farm fields. This transition gives way to soil erosion. Over the last 150 years, we’ve lost half of this planet’s topsoil. Moreover, global warming is another alarming threat to the soil.
The ramifications of soil erosion are more than just loss of land fertility. Increased pollution, sedimentation in freshwater resources, and clogging of waterways are just some other downsides.
Furthermore, soil erosion is indirectly responsible for the decline of freshwater fish and other aquatic species. Moreover, soil erosion degrades lands, taking away its ability to hold onto water which worsens flooding.
When it comes to soil erosion, the goal should always be to prevent it. Why? Because it takes half a millennium to replace one inch of soil lost to erosion! Fertile soil is a nonrenewable and endangered ecosystem that must be protected at all costs.
So what can you do to prevent soil erosion? These are some practices to prevent soil erosion:
1. Planting Vegetation
It’s the easiest natural way to prevent erosion. The roots of plants can stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. They help in holding the soil together so planting more trees and plants is the simplest counter to erosion.
However, make sure you don’t overwater plants; this can wash off the topsoil, leaving the soil susceptible to erosion.
2. Mulching
Mulching is an effective technique that enriches the soil and prevents erosion. Mulching involves applying layers of mulch to the soil. This allows the soil to soak up more water. It also protects against rain impact while also restoring the pH levels of the soil.
3. Retaining Walls
Retaining walls are designed to prevent water runoff as it can cause soil erosion. They are simple in principle yet extremely effective in preventing soil erosion. They are built around the soil to anchor it in place and prevent erosion.
When used in combination with other techniques such as planting vegetation, retaining walls can prevent soil erosion very effectively.
Vegetated retaining walls can be easily built with RoLanka’s BioD-Block fabric attached coir block system. These will be the natural solutions to restore wetlands and to improve wildlife habitats.
4. Geotextiles: Woven, Non-woven, or Coir?
Geotextiles are highly effective in stabilizing the soil. Normally used in combination with planting vegetation, they can prevent soil erosion although there are several different types of geotextiles available; woven, non-woven and coir.
Woven and non-woven geotextiles offer a great degree of soil stabilization thanks to their robust design. However, they are more commonly used in civil structures such as pavements, roads, and railroads.
The Case for Coir Products – Natural and Biodegradable
Coir products are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons. These products are not only great for preventing soil erosion, they pose no threat to wildlife like synthetics do.
Synthetic products are a threat to wildlife because of the fine gaps. They can trap small animals like reptiles and rodents but that’s not the case with coir products. Coir products are made from natural coconut fiber.
They are biodegradable which means they turn into mulch when their functional life ends. Furthermore, the gaps are larger, so they don’t trap wildlife, making them ideal for preventing soil erosion.
When it comes to biodegradable erosion control products, RoLanka is the go-to choice for farmers and soil engineers. We offer biodegradable coir blankets and mats for erosion control.
The fight against soil erosion is an environmental responsibility of all of us. Contact us now to do your part!