Soil erosion control in South Korea

Excerpt

SOUTH Korea is a land naturally susceptible to soil erosion. Geologic and climatic conditions often combine to produce serious runoff and environmental damage. Mountainous terrain and a temperate climate, which generates two-thirds of the average annual rainfall (1,156 millimeters or 45.5 inches) in July and August, make topsoil vulnerable to erosion. Particularly susceptible is forest land, which comprises about 65 percent of the nation's land area, 6.6 million of 10 million hectares (16.3 million of 24.7 million acres). By the 1950s, more than 10 percent of South Korea's forest land had been denuded.

Erosion is sometimes dramatic, occurring as landslides and debris avalanches. Topsoil losses produce stream sedimentation, which elevates streambeds and leads to serious flood damage.

With severe topsoil losses, forest land fails to hold moisture, thereby fostering drought conditions. Along the coastline, drifting and blowing sand damages houses, crops and pastures, and fishing areas.

A national erosion control plan

Once soil erosion has done its damage, revegetation and restoration of deteriorated lands is a difficult and slow process. Nevertheless, South Korea's efforts to control erosion and rehabilitate denuded land through concentrated government programs have produced some …