Natural hazards are excluded as a cause; however human activities can indirectly affect phenomena such as floods and bush fires. This is considered to be an important topic of the 21st century due to the implications land degradation has upon agronomic productivity, the environment, and its effects on food security.
prepress. 1  of or relating to all operations other than the preparation of the press that are required in preparing a job for printing. ( 2 of a proof) pulled from a finished plate prior to or in lieu of a press proof.
buttress (plural buttresses) (architecture) A brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it. Anything that serves to support something; a prop. A buttress-root. (climbing) A feature jutting prominently out from a mountain or rock; a crag, a bluff.