Matter/energy can be transformed from one form to another. Matter/energy can neither be created nor destroyed. When matter/energy is transformed from one form to another, there is a net loss. This loss is called entropy. A system that has been transformed and lost energy moves towards high entropy. A system that has its energies intact is a low entropy system. If a forest in a watershed is clear-cut, all the energies in the wood Are transformed and dispersed. The energy within topsoil, the energies embedded in the Earth dependent habitats supporting a multiplicity of lives as a consequence of erosion is dispersed. The entropy of the watershed has been increased by the dispersal of these energies, the energy so dispersed cannot be retrieved.