Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

Wei, Hui; Zhao, Wenwu; Wang, Han

doi:10.3390/ijerph18126266

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The area of the Loess Plateau in north-central China is characterized by thousands of gullies, complex terrain, low vegetation coverage, and is greatly affected by human activities, resulting in serious soil erosion, with an average annual soil loss of 5000 ~ 10,000 t/km 2 1 – 5 . Increased soil erosion not only destroys the ecological environment, but also seriously hinders the sustainable development of the surrounding social economy 6 – 8 . Convex hillslopes are sections of slope located between gullies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of vegetation spatial pattern on erosion and sediment particle sorting in the loess convex hillslope

Zhang

Wang

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To address the problem of serious soil erosion on the Loess Plateau, under the conditions of limited vegetation measures, the runoff erosion characteristics and erosion sediment sorting characteristics of vegetation at different positions on the upper slope of convex hillslopes are investigated, and the optimal vegetation spatial pattern is proposed according to the benefits of water storage and sediment reduction at different vegetation positions. The fluctuation degree of flow discharge per unit area of different vegetation spatial patterns is small, and the variation process of sediment discharge per unit area of each vegetation spatial pattern fluctuated sharply with the increase of runoff time. After planting vegetation on the slope, the total runoff yield and sediment yield were reduced. The runoff yield reduction benefit was 19.65% when the grass belt was 6 m away from the slope top; and the sediment yield reduction benefit was more than 70% when the grass belt was 2 m away from the slope top. Under the condition of hydraulic erosion on the slope covered with vegetation, the erosion particles are mainly fine particles, with high silt content and relatively small sand content. The farther the vegetation is arranged from the slope top, the more easily silt of size 0.002–0.05 mm is eroded. The higher effectiveness in terms of reductions of both runoff and sediment yields were obtained when the vegetation is planted in the proximity of the end of the length of the slope.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of vegetation spatial pattern on erosion and sediment particle sorting in the loess convex hillslope

Zhang

Wang

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This result is in tandem with Teng et al ( 2019 ) who noted a significant soil erosion reduction under intensive forest restoration of areas within a range of 45 to 70% slope. Similarly, Wei et al ( 2021 ) found that vegetation restoration greatly reduced soil erosion in China. Spatially, the FLR activities revealed huge effects in the northern part of the Lake Abaya catchment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Impact of forest landscape restoration in combating soil erosion in the Lake Abaya catchment, Southern Ethiopia

Eshetu,

Kipkulei,

Koepke

et al. 2024

Environ Monit Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As an effect of forest degradation, soil erosion is among Ethiopia’s most pressing environmental challenges and a major threat to food security where it could potentially compromise the ecosystem functions and services. As the effects of soil erosion intensify, the landscape’s capacity to support ecosystem functions and services is compromised. Exploring the ecological implications of soil erosion is crucial. This study investigated the soil loss and land degradation in the Lake Abaya catchment to explore forest landscape restoration (FLR) implementation as a possible countermeasure to the effects. The study used a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to determine the potential annual soil loss and develop an erosion risk map. Results show that 13% of the catchment, which accounts for approximately 110,000 ha, is under high erosion risk of exceeding the average annual tolerable soil loss of 10 t/ha/year. Allocation of land on steep slopes to crop production is the major reason for the calculated high erosion risk in the catchment. A scenario-based analysis was implemented following the slope-based land-use allocation proposal indicated in the Rural Land Use Proclamation 456/2005 of Ethiopia. The scenario analysis resulted in a reversal erosion effect whereby an estimated 3000 t/ha/year of soil loss in the catchment. Thus, FLR activities hold great potential for minimizing soil loss and contributing to supporting functioning and providing ecosystem services. Tree-based agroforestry systems are among the key FLR measures championed in highly degraded landscapes in Ethiopia. This study helps policymakers and FLR implementors identify erosion risk areas for future FLR activities. Thereby, it contributes to achieving the country’s restoration commitment.

show abstract

“…The CSLE model has been used widely on the Loess Plateau (Kou et al, 2020;Wei et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2020), and advances in remote sensing data resolution and geographic information system technology have vastly improved model applicability and accuracy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of temporal and spatial changes of soil erosion under LULCC based on CSLE in the typical watershed on the Loess Plateau

Zhang

Chen

Shi

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Extreme meteorological events occur frequently, and changes in the spatial pattern of land use have greatly affected the soil erosion process in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau. As a typical governance watershed in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau, the Jiuyuangou watershed has experienced significant changes in land use and land cover (LULCC) in the past ten years due to the conversion of farmland to forests, economic construction, and abandonment of cultivated land. However, the evolution process of soil erosion under LULCC in the watershed is unclear. This study uses satellite images to extract information on LULCC in the watershed and the Chinese soil loss equation (CSLE) model to evaluate the temporal and spatial evolution of soil erosion in the watershed from 2010 to 2020. The main results showed that: (1) The continuous vegetation restoration project in the watershed reduced soil erosion from 2010 to 2015; however, the frequency of extreme rainfall events after 2015 reduced its impact. The annual average soil erosion modulus decreased from 10.85 t ha yr in 2010 to 8.03 t ha yr in 2015, but then increased to 10.57 t ha yr in 2020; (2) The main LULC type in the Jiuyuangou watershed is grassland, accounting for 62.23% of the total area of the watershed, followed by forest land (28.41%), cropland (6.77%), building (2.49%), and water (0.09%). The multi-year average soil erosion modulus for land use type is cropland > grassland > building > forest land; (3) Significant spatial correlations between soil erosion change and LULCC for common ‘no change’ and common ‘gain’ occurred in the settlements, roads, valleys, and areas near the human influences with good soil and water conservation, but not other regions due to the influence of climatic factors (heavy rain events). This study provides a scientific reference for planning and managing water and soil conservation and ecological environment construction in the basin.

show abstract

Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

Cited by 13 publications

References 38 publications

Effects of vegetation spatial pattern on erosion and sediment particle sorting in the loess convex hillslope

Effects of vegetation spatial pattern on erosion and sediment particle sorting in the loess convex hillslope

Impact of forest landscape restoration in combating soil erosion in the Lake Abaya catchment, Southern Ethiopia

Analysis of temporal and spatial changes of soil erosion under LULCC based on CSLE in the typical watershed on the Loess Plateau

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About