GIS based soil erosion assessment using the USLE model for efficient land management: A case study in an area with diverse pedo-geomorphological and bioclimatic characteristics

Abstract

The complex environmental process of soil erosion is crucial to sustainable land management and conservation. This study uses the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model to understand the intricate interactions that cause soil erosion in Cluj County, Romania, a region susceptible to complex erosion and landslide phenomenon. The established analysis depicts erosion patterns from localised hotspots to regions of relative stability, providing valuable insights into this critical issue. Spatial distribution maps with color-coded gradients show soil erosion risk and identify vulnerable regions, with temporal investigations depicting how environmental changes affect soil erosion, making it relevant to soil conservation and land management. A careful analysis of the USLE model's parameters (Ls, Cs, C, S, K) shows their soil erosion contributions. The erosion rates were graded in five classes in accordance to general practices of USLE modelling, which range from very-low, low, moderate, high and very-high susceptibility to soil erosion. While a significant majority of the county’s surface is represented by very-low and low erosion risk, several hotspots were identified with intense erosion processes that highlights the critical need to implement soil conservation measures in the area. Identifying erosion hotspots and conservation solutions encourages stakeholders to protect soils, and can provide policymakers with useful information for developing improved guidelines for soil and water conservation.

Assessment of the Erosion and Outflow Intensity in the Rif Region under Different Land Use and Land Cover Scenarios

“…EPM is one of the most used models by researchers as it considers various factors of water erosion [26][27][28]. It also assesses the effects of erosion forms and lithological substrates when evaluating the erosion process [29].…”

The complementary role of indigenous knowledge systems in landslide disaster management in Kanungu District, Uganda

“…For example, almost every nation and continent have the potential to have landslides due to geological, topographical, and climatic conditions, some areas are more vulnerable to landslides. Particularly vulnerable areas are those with steep slopes, flimsy or unstable geological formations, high rainfall, earthquake risk, volcanic activity, or rapid urbanization (Costea et al, 2022;Hyka et al, 2022;Sestras et al, 2022Sestras et al, , 2023.…”