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Can Land Consolidation Reduce the Soil Erosion of Agricultural Land in Hilly Areas? Evidence from Lishui District, Nanjing City

Author

Listed:
  • Yanyuan Zhang

    (College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Cong Xu

    (College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Min Xia

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

Abstract

The hilly areas of China have experienced soil erosion and are also typical land consolidation (LC) regions. Using the RUSLE model and the multiple regression model, this study evaluated the soil erosion of agricultural land and assessed the effects of LC on soil erosion in Lishui District, a typical district in the Ning-Zhen-Yang hilly area. The soil erosion of agricultural land ranged from 0 to 385.77 t·ha −1 ·yr −1 with spatial heterogeneity due to the topography, land cover, and vegetation cover. Overall, carrying out LC reduced soil erosion due to the construction of protection forests, farmland shelterbelts, and different kinds of land engineering. Furthermore, the different types of LC had different impacts on soil erosion, where farmland consolidation resulted in more serious soil erosion than land development. Nevertheless, the potential risks brought by LC to soil erosion reduction could not be overlooked, and more attention should be paid to ecological environment protection during the process of LC. This study presents findings regarding the positive impacts and potential risks of LC for soil erosion reduction in agricultural land in hilly areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Yanyuan Zhang & Cong Xu & Min Xia, 2021. "Can Land Consolidation Reduce the Soil Erosion of Agricultural Land in Hilly Areas? Evidence from Lishui District, Nanjing City," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:5:p:502-:d:550583
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Huiya Yang & Jiahui Zou & Chongxiao Wang & Renzhi Wu & Maroof Ali & Zhongde Huang & Hongchao Jiang & Fan Zhang & Yang Bai, 2025. "Thresholds for Rural Public and Ecosystem Services: Integration into Rural Green Space Spatial Planning for Sustainable Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-25, January.
    2. Kexin Yi & Jianjun Zhang & Yibo Wang & Shouguo Zhang & Sen Liang & Gang Wu, 2026. "Response of erosion sensitivity to land use change in populated areas: a case study of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 3917-3938, February.

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