El impacto de la ganadería y la agricultura en los ecosistemas terrestres.-Degradación física del suelo por actividades antrópicas en la zona II de la cuenca de burgos, Tamaulipas, México.

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to characterize the physical degradation of the soil for antropic activities during the years 2007 and 2008 in the II zone of the Burgos Basin in Tamaulipas, México. In this region, human action manifests itself due to activities such as agriculture, livestock and industry. The conventional farming, based mainly on the cultivation of sorghum, is characterized by greater mechanization and tilling the soil which has contributed in large measure to aggravate erosion processes. There is also some logging, mainly for charcoal production and, recently, has joined the exploration and exploitation of natural gas. We used the methodology for Assessment of Soil Degradation (ASSOD) to identify, locate and define the types of soil degradation within physiographic units. Results showed that nearly 74% of the study area presents some kind of degradation. The main process was water erosion, followed by compaction and wind erosion. The main factors are essentially overgrazing and inadequate farming practices. Approximately 60% of the units evaluated presented a moderate level of degradation, but the speed of this process indicates that maintenance works are needed to reverse.