María Belén Almendro Candel

Chapter 1 – Decreased Organic Carbon Associated With Land Management in Mediterranean Environments

Abstract Soil organic carbon (SOC) depends on land management and land use. Land planning policy determines land use and management, therefore changes in both can produce a decrease of SOC. This is especially important in Mediterranean environments due to the scarcity of organic matter in soil. Climate change is associated with the presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and with the low organic matter in soil. Therefore strategies that reduce SOC also promote climate change. Moreover, soil resources in many parts of Europe are being overexploited, degraded, and irreversibly lost due to inappropriate land management practices, industrial activities, and land use changes that lead to soil sealing, erosion, contamination, and loss of organic carbon. This chapter focuses on changes that reduce SOC and increase greenhouse gas emissions or inhibit the possibility of carbon sequestration by soil.