What is the importance of plants?
Plants provide protective cover on the land and prevent soil erosion for the following reasons: * plants slow down water as it flows over the land (runoff) and this allows much of the rain to soak into the ground; * plant roots hold the soil in position and prevent it from being washed away; * plants break the impact of a raindrop before it hits the soil, thus reducing its ability to erode; * plants in wetlands and on the banks of rivers are of particular importance asthey slow down the flow of the water and their roots bind the soil, thus preventing erosion. The loss of protective vegetation through deforestation , over-grazing, ploughing, and fire makes soil vulnerable to being swept away by wind and water. In addition, over-cultivation and compaction cause the soil to lose its structure and cohesion and it becomesmore easily eroded. Erosion will remove thetop-soil first. Once this nutrient-rich layer of soil is gone, few plants will grow in the soil again. Without soil and plants th
