Ecological Principles

Soils are a non-renewable resource and once it is degraded, all potential to support life from it could be lost entirely. Conservation of this resource is therefore very important. Vegetation and plant cover is a key method to conserve soil. Soil contains and holds...

Physical and chemical disintegration is not sufficient to create soil, but further biological processes are also required. One of the most important biological processes for soil formation is the addition of organic remains and the decomposition thereof by...

By weathering, the bed rock is firstly turned into a heterogeneous mass, called the parent material.  As will be illustrated later, it is from this parent material that soil normally develops. Although weathering sounds like a very destructive process, it is...

The rocks found in the crust of the earth are commonly classified into the following groups: Igneous rock: dolerite, lava, granite, etc. Formed when molten lava cools down Sedimentary rock: shales and sandstone. Formed from the deposition and re-cementation of the...

Soils are dynamic and diverse natural systems that lie at the interface between earth, air, water and life. They are critical ecosystem service providers for the sustenance of humanity. The improved conservation and management of soils are among the great challenges...