Soil Erosion Scotland

Soil Erosion – what is it & where is it happening?

Soil erosion occurs when soil particles are broken off from the soil surface and are moved across the land and is usually caused by water flowing over the land or by the wind. Soil erosion occurs across the country, in both cultivated and uncultivated land, in the uplands and the lowlands.

Why should we care?

The most obvious effect of soil erosion is the loss of soil. You may have seen soil washed out of fields and onto roads. This is not just bad for farming; the eroded soil can be washed into rivers and burns where it can pollute the water as well as smother the river beds and damage breeding grounds for fish. Soil eroded from the uplands can result in peat hags – any hill walker will know that these are difficult to walk across! Erosion of peat soils can again cause water pollution and can also damage our climate by releasing carbon dioxide into the air.

You can help!

You can help us understand and monitor soil erosion by sending us your records using this website whenever you see evidence of soil erosion. Collecting this information is the first critical step to being able to tackle the problem.

The Soil Erosion Scotland App includes a map of sites of recorded erosion which have been shared with users of the app. The app has a form where you can submit your own photos and observations of soil erosion in Scotland. After we have reviewed and approved your submission we will include it in the app for you and all the other users to see.

The app also includes a guide to help you better understand and identify different types of soil erosion.