Soil degradation and land cover change in Latin America

Abstract

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a key region for food, energy, and biodiversity conservation, which is also facing simultaneous pressures from climate change and demands for food and bioenergy. In this context, it is important to review the status of soils and the main drivers of land-use change and land degradation. In this chapter we present a summary of the main soil types in LAC and the most important forms of land use and pressures on land. In doing so, we bear in mind that soil degradation is not a natural phenomenon. Land degradation is rather constructed through the interplay of economic, geopolitical, and natural processes, which together produce soil degradation. We first present the main soil types as related to three main physiographical features of the continent. Then we give an overview of the main tendencies in land-use change and identify the places where there has been rapid change. We describe how rapid changes in these places are driven by global demands for commodities such as meat, in conjunction with government policies and geopolitical forces. Third, we present two cases of soil conservation based on a long-standing system of collective land tenure in semiarid Chile. Finally, we briefly discuss the main soil conservation challenges for LAC.