Prioritization of Sub-Watershed Using Morphometry and Land Cover Based Multi-Criteria Analysis for Basaltic Terrain of Central India

The geo-morphological characteristics are more commonly used for characterization and prioritization of watershed/basin. Morphometric and land cover classes analysis using Remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) with multi criteria analytical (MCA) is more effective, time saving and accurate technique for prioritization of watershed and helps in identification of suitable sites for conservation measures. Morphometric analysis revealed that SW8 is more susceptible to erosion followed by SW2. The land cover analysis shows that SW6 is more prone to soil erosion. Combined influence of both the parameters revealed that SW8 is more susceptible and SW1 is least susceptible to soil erosion. This study helps in planning various soil and water conservation measure to arrest soil erosion and improve the productivity of the soils.

Download Full-text

Impacts of Land Cover and Greenness Change on Soil Loss and Erosion Risk in Damota Area Districts, Southern Ethiopia

Applied and Environmental Soil Science ◽

10.1155/2021/9148138 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Mamush Masha ◽

Teshome Yirgu ◽

Mulugeta Debele

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Aster Gdem ◽

Risk Areas ◽

Soil And Water

Soil erosion is a key problem in Ethiopia in view of tropical climate, lack of vegetation, and landscape relief. Therefore, soil and water conservation (SWC) measures have been practiced, but their impacts on soil loss have not been estimated adequately. The RUSLE modeling was applied using satellite imageries, ASTER GDEM, rainfall, and soil data to estimate total annual soil loss for a 100 km2 hilly and highly populated area in Ethiopia. Soil loss decreased in the Damota districts from 21 to 13 million tons from 2000 to 2020. Similarly, the average annual soil loss decreased by 36%. Very slight-risk areas (< 5 t ha−1 yr−1) increased from 42.66 to 53.72%, and very high-risk areas (> 50 t ha−1 yr−1) decreased from 12 to 5%. Soil and water conservation measures showed an important implication against soil erosion through improved land cover and landscape greenness. However, still, the rate of soil erosion is high compared to the soil loss tolerance of 1–6 t ha−1 yr−1 for the Ethiopian highlands.

Download Full-text

Soil Erosion and Crop Productivity Loss in Palghar and Thane Districts of Maharashtra

Agropedology ◽

10.47114/j.agroped.2018.dec5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

Author(s):

S. V. Shejale ◽

◽

S. B. Nandgude ◽

S. S. Salunkhe ◽

M. A. Phadtare ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Productivity Loss ◽

Research Work ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Conservation Practice ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Soil And Water

Present research work was carried out on soil erosion and crop productivity loss in Palghar and Thane districts. The study also describes tolerable soil loss and relationship between top-soil loss and yield loss. The estimated average annual soil loss was 40.45 t ha-1yr-1 before adoption of the soil and water conservation measures (by USLE method) and estimated average tolerable soil loss was 9.36 t ha-1 yr-1, for Palghar district. Similarly, for Thane district the estimated average annual soil loss and tolerable soil loss were found to be 35.89 t ha-1 yr-1 and 9.61 t ha-1 yr-1, respectively for Thane district. The estimated average conservation practice factor (P) factors were obtained as 0.32 for Palghar district and 0.30 for Thane district to bring the soil loss below the tolerable limit. After adoption of soil and water conservation measures, the estimated soil loss were 9.02 t ha-1 yr-1 and 9.38 t ha-1 yr-1 for Palghar and Thane districts, respectively.

Download Full-text

Soil and Water Conservation Society and the Construction of Ecological Civilization City

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.977.290 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 977 ◽

pp. 290-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zhi Qiang Yu ◽

Qiang Gao ◽

Wen Feng Ding

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Social Construction ◽

Water Loss ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Ecological Civilization ◽

Soil And Water Loss ◽

The Social ◽

The City ◽

Soil And Water

In recent years , with the acceleration of the process of China's modernization cities , soil erosion and lead to many more serious environmental problems . This paper describes the harm to the social construction of ecological civilization city soil and water loss,analyzed the causes of soil erosion,and finally illustrates the importance of soil and water conservation of the city and puts forward some suggestions for the construction of soil and water conservation.

Download Full-text

Characterization and Evaluation of Soil Erosion in Shenzhen: Using Environmental Radionuclides

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.522-524.211 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 522-524 ◽

pp. 211-222

Author(s):

Jun Jie Li ◽

Ding Qiang Li ◽

Mu Ning Zhuo

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Loss ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Urban Soil ◽

Land Development ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Distribution Area ◽

Soil And Water Loss ◽

Unique Method ◽

Soil And Water

Nuclear tracer technology is quantitative and it has a high priority, which provides a unique method for understanding the mechanism of urban soil and water loss.137Cs +210Pbexcombination tracer was applied to study the characterization and evaluation of soil Erosion in Shenzhen. The results indicate that the following: 1)Disturbances from urbanization has greatly changed surface soil in Shenzhen.137Cs background inventory in Shenzhen range at 99 Bq/m2-653 Bq/m2. 2)210Pbexbackground inventory increase with altitude rise, which is attributed to the movement of water vapor. 3)Soil erosion in Shenzhen has a wide distribution area and exacerbated by severe human disturbance. Land development and steep orchard are key factors that influence urban soil and water loss. 4)Shenzhen should strictly carry out projects for soil and water conservation, such as returning steep slopes into forests and grasslands, and other ecological management reforms.

Download Full-text

The effects of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on agricultural output

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/ijccsm-02-2020-0014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 599-615

Author(s):

Xiaohui Huang ◽

Qian Lu ◽

Fei Yang

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Agricultural Output ◽

Content Type ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil And Water

Purpose This paper aims to build a theoretical model of the impact of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on the agricultural output to analyze the impact of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on agricultural output. Design/methodology/approach Based on the field survey data of 808 farmers households in three provinces (regions) of the Loess Plateau, this paper using the endogenous switching regression model to analyze the effect of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on agricultural output. Findings Soil erosion has a significant negative impact on agricultural output, and soil erosion has a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption of soil and water conservation measures. Farmers adopt soil and water conservation measures such as engineering measures, biological measures and tillage measures to cope with soil erosion, which can increase agricultural output. Based on the counterfactual hypothesis, if farmers who adopt soil and water conservation measures do not adopt the corresponding soil and water conservation measures, their average output per ha output will decrease by 2.01%. Then, if farmers who do not adopt soil and water conservation measures adopt the corresponding soil and water conservation measures, their average output per ha output will increase by 12.12%. Government support and cultivated land area have a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures. Research limitations/implications The research limitation is the lack of panel data. Practical implications Soil erosion has a significant negative impact on agricultural output, and soil erosion has a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption of soil and water conservation measures. Farmers adopt soil and water conservation measures such as engineering measures, biological measures and tillage measures to cope with soil erosion, which can increase agricultural output. Social implications The conclusion provides a reliable empirical basis for the government to formulate and implement relevant policies. Originality/value The contributions of this paper are as follows: the adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and agricultural output are included into the same analytical framework for empirical analysis, revealing the influencing factors of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and their output effects, enriching existing research. Using endogenous switching regression model and introducing instrumental variables to overcome the endogenous problem between the adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and agricultural output, and to analyze the influencing factors of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and its impact on agricultural output. Using the counter-factual idea to ensure that the two matched individuals have the same or similar attributes, to evaluate the average treatment effect of the behavior of soil and water conservation measures, to estimate the real impact of adaptation measures on agricultural output as accurately as possible and to avoid misleading policy recommendations.

Download Full-text

Assessment of Soil and Water Conservation Practices in the Loess Hilly Region Using a Coupled Rainfall-Runoff-Erosion Model

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12030934 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 934 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mengfan Cai ◽

Chunjiang An ◽

Christophe Guy ◽

Chen Lu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Rainfall Erosivity ◽

Conservation Practices ◽

Emission Scenarios ◽

Soil And Water Loss ◽

Hilly Region ◽

Soil And Water

Soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) are widely used to control soil and water loss. Quantifying the effect of SWCPs and climate change on soil and water erosion is important for regional environmental management. In this study, the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) were employed to investigate the patterns of surface runoff and soil erosion with different SWCPs in the hilly region on the Loess Plateau of China. The impact of climate change under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios was considered from 2020 to 2050. Surface runoff grew with the increased rainfall and rainfall erosivity, while soil erosion presented large variations between years due to uneven distribution of rainfall and rainfall erosivity under two scenarios. Different SWCPs significantly reduced surface soil and water loss. Compared with bare slopes, the reduction rates were 15–40% for surface runoff and 35–67% for soil erosion under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios, respectively. The combination of shrub and horizontal terracing was recommended due to its low water cost for sediment control among seven SWCPs.

Download Full-text

A Bibliometric Analysis of Soil and Water Conservation in the Loess Tableland-Gully Region of China

Water ◽

10.3390/w11010020 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 20 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Yaping Wang ◽

Wenzhao Liu ◽

Gang Li ◽

Weiming Yan ◽

Guangyao Gao

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Control Measures ◽

Chinese Loess Plateau ◽

Annual Growth Rate ◽

Chinese Loess ◽

Ecological Remediation ◽

Soil And Water

The tableland-gully region is one of the main topographic-ecological units in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), and the soil in this region suffers from serious water erosion. In recent years, much work has been conducted to control soil erosion in this area. This paper summarized the development of soil and water conservation researches in the CLP from the bibliometric perspective based on the Science Citation Index (SCI) and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The quantity of SCI literatures has increased rapidly since 2007, with an average annual growth rate of 21.4%, and the quantity of CNKI literatures in the last decade accounted for 62% of the past 30 years. The development trends showed that early SCI research was related to loess geology in the context of ecological remediation, while the CNKI literature focused on agricultural production under comprehensive management. Over time, the research themes of the two databases gradually became unified, i.e., the management of sloping farmland and the improvement of agricultural productivity. Subsequently, the themes gradually extended to the disposition of comprehensive control measures for soil erosion and the environmental effect of agro-fruit ecosystems. The highly cited papers mainly focused on soil reservoir reconstruction, soil erosion factors, and environmental effects of vegetation restoration. Two aspects need further study, including (i) the effect of soil erosion control under different ecological remediation patterns; and, (ii) the ecosystem maintenance mechanism and regulation approaches that are based on the sustainable utilization of soil and water resources in the tableland-gully region of the Loess Plateau.

Download Full-text

Soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau in China: review and perspective

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/0309133307081290 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 389-403 ◽

Cited By ~ 236

Author(s):

Liding Chen ◽

Wei Wei ◽

Bojie Fu ◽

Yihe Lü

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Vegetation Restoration ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

The Past ◽

Soil And Water ◽

Made In

The Loess Plateau, China, has long been suffering from serious soil erosion. About 2000 years ago, larger areas were used for grain production and soil erosion was thus becoming severe with increase in human activity. Severe soil and water loss led to widespread land degradation. During the past decades, great efforts were made in vegetation restoration to reduce soil erosion. However, the efficiency of vegetation restoration was not as satisfactory as expected due to water shortage. China initiated another state-funded scheme, the `Grain-for-Green' project in 1999, on the Loess Plateau to reduce soil erosion and improve land quality. However, the control of soil erosion effectively by land-use modification raised problems. In this paper, the lessons and experiences regarding soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau in the past decades are analysed first. Urgent problems are then elaborated, such as the contradiction between land resource and human population, shortage of water both in amount and tempospatial distribution for vegetation growth, weak awareness of the problems of soil conservation by local officials, and poor public participation in soil and water conservation. Finally, suggestions regarding soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau are given. In order to control soil erosion and improve vegetation, a scientific and detailed land-use plan for the Loess Plateau has to be made, in the first instance, and then planning for wise use of water resources should be undertaken to control mass movement effectively and to improve land productivity. Methods of improving public awareness of environmental conservation and public involvement in vegetation rehabilitation are also important.

Download Full-text

Application of a RUSLE-based soil erosion modelling on Mauritius Island

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr12175 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 50 (8) ◽

pp. 645 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rody Nigel ◽

Soonil D. D. V. Rughooputh

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Total Soil ◽

Mauritius Island ◽

Soil And Water

Soil erosion by water is one of the most important natural resources management problems in the world. The damages it causes on-site are soil loss, breakdown of soil structure, and decline in organic matter content, nutrient content, fertility, and infiltration rate. Lands with the highest erosion risk on Mauritius Island are crop cultivations (sugarcane, tea, vegetables) on erosion-susceptible terrain (slopes >20% coupled with highly erodible soils). The locations of such lands on Mauritius were mapped during previous, qualitatively based regional-scale erosion studies. In order to propose soil conservation strategies, there is a need to apply a more quantitative approach to supplement the previous, qualitatively based studies. This paper reports an application of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) within a geographical information system in order to estimate soil loss on the island, and particularly for the high-erosion areas. Results show that total soil loss on the island is estimated at 298 259 t year–1, with soil loss from high-erosion areas summing 84 780 t year–1 (28% of total soil loss). If all of the high-erosion areas were afforested, their soil loss would be reduced to 10 264 t year–1, i.e. a reduction of 88% for the high-erosion areas and a reduction of 25% for the island. This study thus calls for soil and water conservation programs directed to these erosion-prone areas before the land degradation and environmental damage they are causing become irreversible. The methodological approach used in this work to quantitatively estimate soil loss from erosion-prone areas can be adopted in other countries as the basis for a nationwide erosion assessment in order to better inform environmental policy needs for soil and water conservation.

Download Full-text