Soil Erosion
Loss of topsoil through water, wind, or gravity due to land use, reduced vegetation cover, or steep slopes.
Formula
Soil Loss = R × K × L × S × C × P (USLE)
Real World
In Ethiopia's highlands, decades of overgrazing and deforestation have stripped topsoil at rates up to 200 tonnes per hectare per year — far exceeding natural soil formation of around 1 tonne per hectare — leaving large swathes of land infertile and contributing to recurrent famine.
Exam Focus
When 'evaluate' appears, always link erosion causes to specific human land-use practices, not just physical factors.
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