Spatial estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE modeling: a case study of Dolakha district, Nepal

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Abstract

Background

Soil erosion causes topsoil loss, which decreases fertility in agricultural land. Spatial estimation of soil erosion essential for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for developing its control plans. This study evaluated impacts on Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model; analyses the effect of land use and land cover (LULC) on soil erosion.

Results

The soil erosion rate categorized into six classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas found under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha ⁻¹ year ⁻¹) addressed by decision-makers for reducing its rate and consequences. Followed by 10% classified between high and severe range from 10 to 80 Mg ha ⁻¹ year ⁻¹. While 15% and 70% of areas remained in a moderate and low-risk zone, respectively. Result suggests the area of the north-eastern part suffers from a high soil erosion risk due to steep slope.

Conclusions

The result produces a spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land-use planners and decision-makers.

Related collections

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Kathinka Kurz, R Saffouri, M McNair … (1995)

Soil erosion is a major environmental threat to the sustainability and productive capacity of agriculture. During the last 40 years, nearly one-third of the world's arable land has been lost by erosion and continues to be lost at a rate of more than 10 million hectares per year. With the addition of a quarter of a million people each day, the world population's food demand is increasing at a time when per capita food productivity is beginning to decline.