Helping to improve our understanding of the UK’s precious soil resource
Help us learn more about soil erosion by telling us where you see it, what you think caused it, and where the eroded soil is now
Sign upSoil Erosion – what is it & where is it happening?
Soil erosion is a natural process where soil particles are broken off from the soil surface and are moved across the land. It is usually caused by water flowing over the land or by the wind. Soil erosion occurs across the country, in natural as well as cultivated land, in the uplands and the lowlands.
Why should we care?
The most obvious effect of soil erosion is the loss of soil from fields. You may have seen soil washed out of fields and onto roads. This is not just bad for farming; the eroded soil can be washed into rivers and burns where it can pollute the water as well as smother the river beds and damage breeding grounds for fish. Soil eroded from the uplands can result in peat hags – any hill walker will know that these are difficult to walk across! Erosion of peat soils can again cause water pollution and can also damage our climate by releasing carbon dioxide into the air.
You can help!
You can help us understand and monitor soil erosion by sending us your records using this website whenever you see evidence of soil erosion. Collecting this information is the first critical step to being able to tackle the problem.
Image © Bob Rees / SRUC
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