- One of the greatest challenges facing soil conservation is erosion. Soil is required as a substrate to support and provide nutrients to plants. One way to prevent erosion is to minimize soil disturbance, such as tilling, and increase vegetation cover.
- Loss of soil can reduce the potential for plants to colonize an area. If the soil enters aquatic systems such as streams and wetlands, aquatic plants can become stressed as less light is able to penetrate the cloudy water.
- Water conservation initiatives focus heavily on flood protection, minimizing soil erosion (water is often the culprit in soil erosion) and maintaining the overall quality of the water. These initiatives can include the construction of dams and wetland creation and restoration.
- Some government programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, strive to minimize soil erosion, while simultaneously improving water quality and providing wildlife habitat.
- Many of the national soil and water conservation programs are funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. Also, professional organizations like the Soil and Water Conservation Society provide science-based information for researchers, administrators and policy-makers.
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