Good to see you again.
As we travel across the landscape,
enjoying scenery and diverse cultural societies,
we generally do not give much thought on
a landscape or a landscape element that is however,
or perhaps, the most important of all.
The condition of the land.
And to be able to comprehend the condition of the land, we observe.
We need a measuring stick, a reference for comparison.
This measuring stick is called land potential.
Armed with understanding of condition of the land and its potential,
we can truly begin to understand the landscapes we are
observing and the state in which they are.
After watching this video,
you will be able to explain the concept on land potential and how
it affects what can be achieved on the land.
You will also be able to recognize how land potential and
land condition can be used to support management decisions.
The term land potential is very important for all
those matching land resources one way or another.
It is meaningful, not only for the farmer,
but also for those that make
land use decisions at higher levels such as government agencies,
and when it comes to it,
we as consumers can have our influences on land use pressures by the choices we
make in the grocery store since that affects international markets.
A simple explanation of land potential would be the state of
the land when it's not substantially changed or damaged by over exploitation.
In other words, the condition of un-degraded land.
From our previous discussion on land degradation,
you now know that such condition can well exist under proper sustainable land use.
So let me explain the factors influencing land potential.
Landscapes are complex.
They consist of multiple elements,
each having its characteristics that can be relatively flat elements
or steep slopes with different aspects.
The soils can be sandy or clay and contain different amounts of organic matter.
The ground water may be deep or close to the surface,
leading to a formation of wet lands.
All those factors influence the land potential.
Understanding the landscape elements is important.
It includes the age of the landscape, different landscape units,
geology of the bedrock as well as the slope, gradient and aspect.
The topography has a strong influence on how water runs off the land,
which influences the land potential and so does the climate.
The climate on earth is quite variable as we all know,
from simmering heat and lack of moisture that limit plant growth in hot deserts,
to the ample supply of
rainfall and rain forests that drives water grassland areas and Savannas,
temperate grasslands and forest to the cold of the tundra
and mountains while low temperature limits plant growth.
The climate, therefore, restricts water landscape potential for a given area can be
under the surface is another component that has a large influence on land potential.
The soil, a heavy clay soil can store a lot of water from
rain and snow providing water to plants during dry periods.
The sandy soil does not,
on the other hand.
It does not store the moisture.
The potential of such system is quite limited in
arid climates where water storage in soil is needed.
Thus, here we have three dominating factors that influence land potential,
the landscape, the climate and the soil properties.
But let's not forget the life sustaining cycles,
the rainfall and the water storage capacity of
the soil determine land potential in arid climates.
However, all systems need energy,
and almost all energy is directly or indirectly derived
from the sun through photosynthesis.
If we reduce the ability of a given land element to
capture energy by removing its vegetation,
then we're also affecting the new tenth cycle negatively,
and that will reduce the fertility of the land.
We are therefore damaging the potential of the site to be productive,
support ecosystem services and its resilience.
The land become degraded and it's not performing at its full potential.
When the cycles of energy,
nutrients and water are at optimal states,
but each different location,
then we talk about that site is at its
full potential.But how can we know if this is the case?
Well, all of these factors we have mentioned, the climate,
the landscape, the soils they define what is possible potential of the land.
Some areas are inherently fertile,
warm with ample rainfall and soils that store the energy and water,
other systems are not fertile at their full potential.
Examples of such systems are arid areas with sandy soils,
with limited means of storing energy and water.In cold areas,
where low temperature limits the means to capture energy.
What is important is that all the factors
that determine the fertility and even more importantly,
the potential of the land can be measured by a range of
scientific methods that are discussed in the next video.
If you want to learn more about these methods,
please look at the report unlocking the sustainable potential of land resources,
evaluation systems strategies and tools,
which is provided with the background material of this course.
We can use our knowledge of land potential to match land deals with land potential.
That means land use must be tailored to the ability of the land to produce,
It must be based on the potential of the land.
This may sound like an ordinary cliche,
but it is not.
Understanding of land potential is a practical step
towards improving the state of the land and livelihoods of people.
If land is not managed within the limits of its potential, degradation occurs.
In nearly every country,
we find stories of land that has been degraded beyond no return.
The land has lost its former potential.
In nearly every case,
this has been caused by land use or management but exceeded the potential of the land.
An example of this is the complete loss of topsoil from hillsides in the Mediterranean.
This could have been avoided by adjusting the management to the potential of the land,
the green line on the figures.
Proper management hinders degradation and allows land to perform at its potential or even
exceeding its potential with increased inputs or
new technologies that increase resource use efficiency,
as you can see on this figures.
The concept of land potential has now been introduced and explained.
You should now see that the ability of a land to produce and deliver
ecosystem services is quite
valuable and it is determined by such factors such as rainfall,
temperature soils and the landscape elements.
This is a basic knowledge leading to the next concept,
which is necessary for understanding landscapes,
for all those months in land use at all levels
from the farmers government agencies to the consumers.
The Concept of Land Condition,
that will be the topic of next video.