Risks of post-fire soil water degradation in the humid tropics

Abstract

Soil is a natural component of great importance in the sustainability of ecosystems, its degradation is due, in most cases, to poor management under hillside conditions, which reduces its productivity and its ability to sustain human life. The purpose of the study is the analysis of risk factors in post-fire soil water degradation under humid tropical conditions in Nicaragua. The research was carried out in the Sconfran region of the municipality of Bluefields, Autonomous Region of the South Caribbean Coast (RACCS). The conditions that interfere with the dynamics of soil degradation in conditions of absence (Pre) and in subsequent (Post) forest fire (Fire) were characterized and analyzed. The erosion monitoring plot (20 m²) had three intensities of vegetation cover (0%, 50% and 100%). Sediment production and runoff volume are strongly correlated with precipitation. It is estimated that the concentrations of combustible material range between 1,000 -10,300 Kg / Ha. Organic matter concentrations (MO%) in all treatments showed drastic decreases. Soil loss (54.6 Kg/m²) and sediment carryover (37.9 Kg ha^-1) were higher in post-fire soils. The results obtained are important for establishing agricultural strategies to reduce degradation in rural areas of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua.