PROPOSAL TO STUDY ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF REDUCING SOIL EROSION IN ALBANIA

Soil erosion and associated nonpoint pollution are critical problems affecting the economic welfare, food security, and public health of Albania. Nearly 60 million tons of sediment are deposited by Albanian rivers into the Adriatic Sea each year. This translates into a national average soil erosion rate of 27.2 tons per hectare per year, which is more than twice the level of "tolerable" erosion established by many countries. This also means that an average of 2.3 mm of valuable topsoil are lost to the ocean each year. Accompanying the topsoil are agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers as well as industrial pollutants, which are transported to reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and the ocean, thereby causing a degradation in water quality. The objectives of the proposed study include: to quantify the magnitude of soil erosion and its effects on water quality at three levels of intensity: site-specific, watershed, and the nation as a whole; to identify high-risk areas for immediate soil erosion control using a geographic information system; to create a public awareness program that uses soil erosion control as an example of land protection in Albania; to monitor the effectiveness of soil erosion control on discharge of sediments into the Adriatic Sea using remote sensing; and to determine the economic benefits of soil erosion control.Soil conservation--Environmental aspects--Albania, Soil conservation--Economic aspects--Albania, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,

PREPARATION OF ACTION PLAN FOR PROTECTION OF LAND IN ALBANIA

The degradation of Albania's land resources is a serious impediment to the welfare of the people of Albania as well as that of future generations. Resolving land degradation requires the concerted action of governmental and nongovernmental agencies. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a Land Protection Action Plan could be developed. There are three general types of land degradation which this Land Protection Action Plan would attempt to solve: excessive soil erosion, contamination of surface and ground water, and unguided urbanization on high-quality agricultural land. The paper goes on to describe the steps to be taken to prepare the action plan, including documenting problems, identifying high-risk areas, identifying and carrying out needed research, designing educational programs, reviewing and preparing legislation, developing an investment program for land protection, and monitoring the evolution of different types of land degradation. The paper also describes the implementation of such an action plan.Agricultural conservation -- Albania, Land use -- Albania -- Planning, Land degradation -- Albania -- Prevention, Land Economics/Use,

Soils of western Wright Valley, Antarctica

Western Wright Valley, from Wright Upper Glacier to the western end of the Dais, can be divided into three broad geomorphic regions: the elevated Labyrinth, the narrow Dais which is connected to the Labyrinth, and the North and South forks which are bifurcated by the Dais. Soil associations of Typic Haplorthels/Haploturbels with ice-cemented permafrost at 70 cm. They are developed in situ in strongly weathered drift with very low surface boulder frequency and occur on the upper erosion surface of the Labyrinth and on the Dais. Typic Anhyorthels also occur at lower elevation on sinuous and patchy Wright Upper III drift within the forks. Salic Aquorthels exist only in the South Fork marginal to Don Juan Pond, whereas Salic Haplorthels occur in low areas of both South and North forks where any water table is> 50 cm. Most soils within the study area have an alkaline pH dominated by Na+ and Cl- ions. The low salt accumulation within Haplorthels/Haploturbels may be due to limited depth of soil development and possibly leaching

Soils and parent materials of Findley Lake, Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington

Findley Lake watershed is located in the Snoqualmie National Forest and has a surface area of 259 ha (1 Mi²). The lake is at an elevation of 1128 m (3701 ft) but the ridges attain elevations of 1450 m (4750 ft). The Cougar Mountain Formation, consisting of lava flows, conglomerate, and volcanic sandstone, underlies the basin. The area has been glaciated and covered by a number of volcanic ash layers. Carbon 14 dating of stratified charcoal has shown that tephra are present among the ashes of Mt. St. Helens-W, Mt. St. Helens-Y, and Mazama (300, 3200, and 6700 yr B.P., respectively). An extensive fire occurred 200 years ago. Abies amabilis and Tsuga heterophylla are the most common tree species of the area. Soils were mapped into groups depending upon parent material and vegetation. The following groups were recognized. Soils of talus (16.2% of total); soils of mixed materials: (1) forested (56.2%), (2) semiforested (4.3%), (3) unforested (1.6%); residual soils of the ridges: (1) forested (17.5%), (2) unforested (4.2%). The soils Include the Haplumbrept, yorthod, and Haplaquept, andic and humic

Findley Lake watershed a terrestrial-lake interface program

One of the major objectives of the Western. Coniferous Biome is to understand the relation between terrestrial ecosystems and the chemical and biological properties of drainage waters. The first year of study on such a program has been completed and has primarily entailed a year of descriptive studies.Includes supplemental reports 25-A, B & C

Vegetation Type Dominates the Spatial Variability in CH<inf>4</inf> Emissions Across Multiple Arctic Tundra Landscapes

Methane (CH4) emissions from Arctic tundra are an important feedback to global climate. Currently, modelling and predicting CH4 fluxes at broader scales are limited by the challenge of upscaling plot-scale measurements in spatially heterogeneous landscapes, and by uncertainties regarding key controls of CH4 emissions. In this study, CH4 and CO2 fluxes were measured together with a range of environmental variables and detailed vegetation analysis at four sites spanning 300 km latitude from Barrow to Ivotuk (Alaska). We used multiple regression modelling to identify drivers of CH4 flux, and to examine relationships between gross primary productivity (GPP), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and CH4 fluxes. We found that a highly simplified vegetation classification consisting of just three vegetation types (wet sedge, tussock sedge and other) explained 54% of the variation in CH4 fluxes across the entire transect, performing almost as well as a more complex model including water table, sedge height and soil moisture (explaining 58% of the variation in CH4 fluxes). Substantial CH4 emissions were recorded from tussock sedges in locations even when the water table was lower than 40 cm below the surface, demonstrating the importance of plant-mediated transport. We also found no relationship between instantaneous GPP and CH4 fluxes, suggesting that models should be cautious in assuming a direct relationship between primary production and CH4 emissions. Our findings demonstrate the importance of vegetation as an integrator of processes controlling CH4 emissions in Arctic ecosystems, and provide a simplified framework for upscaling plot scale CH4 flux measurements from Arctic ecosystems

Proposal to Study the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Reducing Soil Erosion in Albania

iii, 7 p.This paper is an output of the Land Market Action Plan in Albania, implemented by the Project Management Unit of the Immovable Property Registration System and the Cooperative Working Group, with support from the Government of Albania; from the Land Tenure Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison; from the European Union's PHARE; and from the Terra Institute

Preparation of Action Plan for Protection of Land in Albania

iii, 24 p.This paper is an output of the Land Market Action Plan in Albania, implemented by the Project Management Unit of the Immovable Property Registration System and the Coordinative Working Group, with support of the Albanian Government; from the Land Tenure Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison; from the European Union's PHARE; and from the Terra Institute