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Effects of Land Use and Slope Gradient on Soil Erosion in a Red Soil Hilly Watershed of Southern China

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  • Zhanyu Zhang

    (Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-Drainage and Agricultural Soil-Water Environment in Southern China of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
    College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China)

  • Liting Sheng

    (Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-Drainage and Agricultural Soil-Water Environment in Southern China of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
    College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China)

  • Jie Yang

    (Jiangxi Province Research Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Nanchang 330029, China)

  • Xiao-An Chen

    (Jiangxi Province Research Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Nanchang 330029, China)

  • Lili Kong

    (River Course Administration Bureau of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210029, China)

  • Bakhtawar Wagan

    (Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-Drainage and Agricultural Soil-Water Environment in Southern China of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
    College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China)

Abstract

A study was undertaken to develop an appropriate plan of land use under suitable slope gradient to control soil erosion from a red soil hilly watershed of southern China by using the GeoWEPP (Geo-spatial Interface for the Water Erosion Prediction Project) model. The model was calibrated and validated using monitoring data of the outlet from 2010 to 2012, in which the 2010 and 2012 annual total runoff and sediment yield data were used for calibration, and the 2011 monthly runoff and sediment yield data for validation. The performance of the model in validation period were good with a high coefficient of determination values of 0.98 and 0.93 and Nash-Sutcliffe simulations of 0.96 and 0.91 while low root mean square error values of 6.91 mm and 0.35 t respectively for runoff and sediment yield. Subsequently, the model was used to simulate four typical land use (forest, farm, orchard, and fallow land) in the study area to evaluate their impacts on soil erosion production. The results showed that the runoff decreased by 44.7% and 61.1% for forest and orchard land compared to the current land use, as well as the sediment yield decreased by 43.7% and 68.6%. While the runoff and sediment yield increased by 52.2% and 42.6% for farm land, and 48.8% and 29.6% for fallow land. As the same time, soil erosion increased with increasing of the slope gradient of the quadratic regression equation for all land use. The critical slope gradient of 15° for returning the farmland to forest or others is suitable in the red soil region but is not accurate. The result of the study provides good scientific evidence for developing an appropriate plan of land use in the watershed and other similar areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhanyu Zhang & Liting Sheng & Jie Yang & Xiao-An Chen & Lili Kong & Bakhtawar Wagan, 2015. "Effects of Land Use and Slope Gradient on Soil Erosion in a Red Soil Hilly Watershed of Southern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:7:y:2015:i:10:p:14309-14325:d:57584
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Taixin Peng & Ningsheng Chen & Guisheng Hu & Shufeng Tian & Zheng Han & Enlong Liu, 2021. "New insights into the delayed initiation of a debris flow in southwest China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 108(3), pages 2855-2877, September.
    2. Alejandro Cleves & Eva Youkhana & Javier Toro, 2022. "A Method to Assess Agroecosystem Resilience to Climate Variability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-26, July.
    3. Nan Zhang & Qun Zhang & Yueqiao Li & Mansheng Zeng & Wan Li & Cuiying Chang & Yongrong Xu & Chunbo Huang, 2020. "Effect of Groundcovers on Reducing Soil Erosion and Non-Point Source Pollution in Citrus Orchards on Red Soil Under Frequent Heavy Rainfall," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Benhui Zhu & Shizuka Hashimoto, 2021. "Is Expansion or Regulation more Critical for Existing Protected Areas? A Case Study on China’s Eco-Redline Policy in Chongqing Capital," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-25, October.
    5. Mathias Schaefer & Nguyen Xuan Thinh & Stefan Greiving, 2020. "How Can Climate Resilience Be Measured and Visualized? Assessing a Vague Concept Using GIS-Based Fuzzy Logic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-30, January.
    6. Khanchoul K. & Balla F. & Othmani O., 2020. "Assessment Of Soil Erosion By RUSLE Model Using GIS: A Case Study Of Chemorah Basin, Algeria," Malaysian Journal of Geosciences (MJG), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 4(2), pages 70-78, May.
    7. Jamal Jokar Arsanjani & Eric Vaz, 2017. "Special Issue Editorial: Earth Observation and Geoinformation Technologies for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-5, May.
    8. Anil Khokhar & Abrar Yousuf & Manmohanjit Singh & Vivek Sharma & Parminder Singh Sandhu & Gajjala Ravindra Chary, 2021. "Impact of Land Configuration and Strip-Intercropping on Runoff, Soil Loss and Crop Yields under Rainfed Conditions in the Shivalik Foothills of North-West, India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-20, June.

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