Effects of Vegetation Change on Soil Erosion by Water in Major Basins, Central Asia

Abstract

The uncertainties in soil erosion (SE) are further intensified by various factors, such as global warming, regional warming and humidification, and vegetation cover changes. Moreover, quantitative evaluations of SE in major basins of Central Asia (CA) under changing environments have rarely been conducted. This study conducted quantitative evaluation of SE in four major basins (Syr Darya Basin (SDB), Amu Darya Basin (ADB), Ili River Basin (IRB) and Tarim River Basin (TRB) using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and analyzed the main driving factors. SE quantities in the basins presented relatively consistent upward fluctuating trends from 1982 to 2017. Vegetation cover variation fluctuated significantly from 1982 to 2017. Specifically, vegetation cover decreased continuously in SDB, ADB, and IRB, but increased gradually in TRB. Pixels with positive spatial variation of vegetation mainly occurred around lakes and oases near rivers. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) showed higher correlation with precipitation (80.5%) than with temperature (48.3%). During the study period, the area of arable land (AL) exhibited the largest change among all land use types in CA. Under long-term human activities, the proportion of NDVI of other land types converting to AL was the highest. In the structural equation model (SEM), precipitation, temperature, Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI), and NDVI strongly influenced SE. Overall, the major basins in CA were jointly affected by climate, human activities, and vegetation. Specifically, climatic factors exerted the strongest influence, followed by SHDI (human activities). SE was found to be relatively serious in ADB, SDB, and IRB, with SE in SDB even approaching that in the Loess Plateau. Under the background of global changes, appropriate water and land resource management and optimization configurations should be implemented in CA with reference to TRB in order to relieve local SE problems.

Dynamic analysis of soil erosion in the affected area of the lower Yellow River based on RUSLE model

“…And this research is important for the ecological civilization construction and sustainable development of AALYR. The selection of the calculation data of each factor in this paper is consistent with Yang et al [ 67 ] ( R factor), Qian et al [ 19 ] ( K factor), Guo et al [ 68 ] ( P factor), Yin et al [ 61 ] ( LS factor), Qian et al [ 69 ] ( C factor), which reflects the scientific nature of the estimation in this paper. The social activities in AALYR are complex and diverse, the land use change is a long-term and slow process.…”

Serra da Canastra National Park: Influence of forest fires on the RUSLE C factor and its impact on water erosion

“…Vegetative cover plays a fundamental role in soil protection against water erosion, reducing the impact of rainfall, increasing water infiltration rates, and decreasing runoff (Bertoni et al, 2012). Additionally, vegetation contributes to soil stability and improves its structure (Qian et al, 2022;Zhang et al, 2022).…”

The Effects of <em>Alnus subcordata</em> Roots on Soil Detachment Rates in Forestland of Northern Iran

“…Therefore, the use of vegetation is a more logical solution to prevent soil erosion, especially on steep slopes. The effects of plant and tree communities on soil erosion have been investigated in past researches [7][8][9][10]. In this case, the effect of plant roots on resistance of soils to detachment has been widely investigated [11][12][13][14].…”