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Article: The impact of soil water repellency on soil hydrological and erosional processes under Eucalyptus and evergreen Quercus forests in the Western Mediterranean.
- Article from:
- Australian Journal of Soil Research
- Article date:
- May 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 CSIRO Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Changes of similar sign are occurring on lands unsuitable for agriculture on both sides of the Western Mediterranean Sea (Hamza 1994; Ferreira et al. 1997; Carvalho et al. 1999; Laouina 1999; Coelho et al. 2000) as a result of very different socio-economic realities. Current trends include replacement of evergreen oak forest, cork oak (Quercus suber), by fast-growing trees such as Eucalyptus species, and an increase in agriculture and grazing pressure, as a result of demographic pressure (northern Africa) or deleterious land management practices (Europe). These activities produce major changes in soil superficial structure, with significant ...