Bush burning is an agricultural activity where farmers clear an area of bush for cultivation by burning the vegetation on it. The immediate consequences of this action are as follows:
i. A plant community is destroyed;
ii. Animals that lived on these plants are either killed or driven to surrounding suitable areas, This affects the natural ecological system in these areas;
iii. The important humus layer of the soil is burned away, and the cleared land is exposed to the sun and the rain.
Thus a complex ecosystem that was built up over hundreds of years is destroyed in a very short time.
Repeated cycles of bush burning in a given area can damage
Repeated cycles of bush burning in a given area can damage the soil, making it become powdery and dry with a poor nutrient content. Such a soil cannot support vegetation and will eventually become a barren desert.
When fertile land becomes barren, the natural
the soil, making it become powdery and dry with a poor nutrient content. Such a soil cannot support vegetation and will become a barren desert.
When fertile land becomes barren, the natural homes of many types of animals are also destroyed. The populations of these animals decrease and some of them eventually become extinct.
Bush burning should therefore be restricted. The cleared land should be protected by mulch, and crop rotation should be practiced on the land. When necessary, farmyard manure and fertilizers should be added to the land.
