ARS | Publication request: Book review: Principals of soil conservation and management

Submitted to: Vadose Zone Journal
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: August 7, 2009
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J. 2010. Book review: Principals of soil conservation and management. Vadose Zone Journal. 9:1-2.

Technical Abstract: Conservation and sustainable management of soil are essential features of humankind’s reverence for Nature. As well they should be, given the essential ecosystem services that soil imparts to our world, such as producing food, moderating climate, storing and cycling water and nutrients, purifying water and denaturing pollutants, providing habitat for organisms, storing a diversity of germplasm, forming a solid base upon which to build, and archiving human and planetary history. Unfortunately, soil erosion and land degradation have led to the destruction of once-thriving civilizations in the past. With much of our planet under ever-increasing human population pressure, conservation and sustainable management of soil have become as important today as at any time in the past – soil simply does not form as quickly as we are allowing it to erode away. This is a well-designed, practically oriented book addressing many of the contemporary soil-resource issues facing land managers in the USA and throughout the world. The book is intended as a resource for undergraduate and graduate students in soil science, agronomy, environmental sciences, agricultural engineering, hydrology, and natural resource management. It should also be considered a valuable reference manual for soil conservationists, extension agents, and environmental managers.