ABSTRACT
Land use and management should be addressed before pursuing a concise discussion on the roles of soil in ecosystems, and the nature of soils. The soils of southern Africa will be dealt with extensively, focusing on land and soil degradation in each of the southern African countries. Soil carries out a number of key roles in ecosystems that are essential to our well-being. As a result of soil-forming factors and processes active in southern Africa, a large range of soils with diverse properties are found in the region. The diversity of active soil-forming factors and processes in southern Africa have led to the development of a large number of soil groups. Soil texture is a very stable, and arguably the most important, physical characteristic of soil. It also correlates well with other soil properties. Land degradation is responsible for enormous losses to the economies of some countries as well as the escalating poverty of the majority of southern Africa's population.
