Severe soil erosion due to overgrazing in Arusha Tanzania
Gully erosion caused by overgrazing, Arusha, Tanzania. More and more Maasai give up their traditional lifestyle as nomadic pastoralist and instead settle on the outskirts of towns where their livestock overgrazes the habitat causing loss of vegetation cover and consequently erosion. Removal of topsoil and subsoil by fast-flowing surface water creates abrupt deep and wide gullies. Impact: Gully erosion means the loss of large volumes of soil. Deep wide gullies, sometimes reaching 30m deep, severely limit the use of the land, while off-site deposition of soil causes water-quality decline in streams or rivers and sedimentation of dams and reservoirs. Large gullies disrupt normal farm operations, creating access problems for vehicles and stock.
Size: 5282px × 3508px
Location: 30 km south of Arusha Town in northern Tanzania
Photo credit: © Ulrich Doering / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, afrika, agriculture, arable, catchment, deforestation, degradation, ditch, einzugsgebiet, entwaldung, erde, eroded, erodiert, erosion, graben, gully, horizontal, laendlich, land, landwirtschaft, overgrazed, querformat, run, rural, schlucht, soil, tansania, tanzania, ueberweidet, waagerecht
