Environment, soil survey and land suitability assessment for Coursework

Environment, soil survey and land suitability assessment for conservation management - Coursework Example Center of discussion in this paper is a land-use as a kind of land use which is described in terms of its products as well as management practices. For efficient reconnaissance surveys being conducted at the national levels, highly generalized descriptions may be adequate i.e. â€Å"wildlife habitat†, â€Å"forestry conservation†. At district as well as lower levels, it is vital to specify the use in more details. Such descriptions usually serve two purposes. First they are the basis of determining the requirements for use. Secondly, the management specifications can be used as the basis for the extension services as well as the planning for the necessary inputs. The particular land use requirements are usually illustrated by the land qualities required for the sustained production. A land quality is a very complex attribute of land which usually has a direct effect on the land use. The various examples are the availability of water, nutrients, rooting conditions and er osion hazards. Most of the given lands qualities are determined by the interaction of the several land characteristics as well as measurable attributes of a land. For example, the quality â€Å"availability of water† is usually determined by the potential balance between the water demand as well as the water supply. The water demand is the potential evaporation from the surface of the crop as well as the soil whereas the water supply is determined by the rainfall, infiltration, water storage in the soil and the ability of the grassland to extract the stored water. After selection of the relevant land qualities, it is vital to decide which particular land characteristics are to be used for measuring them. For instance, the quality â€Å"erosion hazard† demands information on rainfall intensity, slope angle as well as soil properties. A compromise is then reached between the characteristics that most define the given land quality with those that are less precise. Land evaluation can also at times be conducted directly in terms of the land characteristics i.e. by using rainfall as opposed to water availability, slope angle instead of erosion hazards. Despite the above, the following are the land suitability constraints that are imposed by the interaction of the soil, climate, topographic, hydrological as well as the geological factors. Mapping of land units and their characteristics The land is first identified as a basis for diagnosis of problems. The given units are then mapped into more details i.e. by dividing the land