This chapter describes the role of forests in water conservation, soil conservation (soil fertility, erosion and sedimentation), climate change, and biodiversity conservation. The importance of recreation and amenity forests is also described.

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) was initiated in 1985, and currently provides modelling capabilities to assess spatial and temporal soil loss, the impacts of various types of land management and the implementation of soil conservation practices on runoff, erosion and sediment delivery...

This chapter describes sustainable use or management with reference to the maintenance of the necessary soil functions for agricultural production, avoidance of off-farm damage, and adequate support for incomes dependent on utilization of the soil. Particular focus is given to the implications of a ...

This chapter discusses the principle of conservation agriculture and provides details of the advantages or benefits of no-tillage, particularly those derived either directly or indirectly from enhancement of soil organic carbon levels. Some of the most important benefits of conservation tillage...

This book, which contains 28 chapters grouped into 5 parts, reviews the major achievements recently made in soil erosion and sediment redistribution study and management as well as the future requirements. The chapters included represent the variety of temporal and spatial scales of operation, from ...

This paper focuses on present-day sediment issues, discusses the problems of current management practices, and proposes a way forward for improving the implementation of erosion control measures. The importance of integrated and holistic approaches to land and river management at the catchment or...

This book studies land use change in tropical landscapes, with particular emphasis on the economic processes that influence rates of land degradation and forest clearing. Multidisciplinary contributions draw lessons from data collected between 1992 and 2004 in the Manupali watershed in southern...

This chapter reports the results from an optimization-simulation model used to illustrate the potential impacts of local and national policies to encourage sustainable land use. The empirical focus is on the Manupali watershed in the Philippines. Simulation results indicate that restrictions on...

The current confusion surrounding watershed functions in relation to land use change (specifically deforestation) are analysed, and an analytical framework that can be used to predict relationships between plot-level interventions and landscape-level effects are discussed. Mental models of...

As much as 87% of the African continent, north of the equator, is affected by accelerated soil erosion. In these developing regions, soil erosion and the associated environmental consequences directly affect the livelihood of the inhabitants. However, soil erosion rates are highly variable, from as ...