Ornamental landscaping for water erosion control at the federal college of agriculture, Ishiagu, Nigeria

Abstract

Water erosion causes serious problems in the environment. The condition is accelerated by the reduction of vegetation resulting from indiscriminate logging of timber and other deforestation activities, which may include the slash and burn method of land preparation and continuous cropping on a particular land over time. This paper reviews this phenomenon in general
especially as it affects the southeastern Nigeria ecological zone, with its fragile, erosion-prone soil and urbanization pressure due to rising population infringing on the natural ecosystem. The damage caused by the erosion on the landscape, which includes soil loss, nutrient loss, textural change, productive loss, pollution, sedimentation and the damage of constructive structure were reviewed. The ornamental landscape option of control as practiced by Federal College of Agriculture Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, was  expatiated. It was concluded that the on-going degradation of natural ecosystem of the region could be abated by rapid ornamental landscaping of rural and urban setting.

Keywords: Water erosion, ornamental landscaping, ecosystem, Nigeria