Nutrient Transformation in Different Land Use Systems

Land use is an emerging socio-economic activity wherein a region of one major specific purpose utility may be converted into another land for general purpose utility. Land use and management practices influence soil nutrients related to soil processes, such as erosion, oxidation, mineralization and leaching, consequently modifying the transport and redistribution processes. Deforestation is widespread in the tropics, and future changes in land use may have an impact on soil nutrient conversions. Understanding how the ecosystem operates and estimating the effects of future land use change on soil properties require characterising the spatial variability of soil nutrients in relation to site properties such as climate, land use, topography, and other variables.