Current Soil Degradation Assessment in the Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam, by Multi-Criteria Analysis and GIS Technology

Abstract

This article aims to provide a scientific basis for solutions to use soil cover for sustainable agricultural and rational forestry development. We used traditional methods such as survey and data collection; soil profile comparison method; vegetation indicator for soil degradation; determining the physical and chemical limiting factors of the soil; combined with the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and the multi-criteria method (MCE) to conduct a soil degradation assessment for the Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. In this study, nine indicators affecting the current soil degradation were selected and then the single-dimensional maps were superimposed to form the current soil degradation map for the study area at a scale of 1/10,000. The study results show that: lightly degraded soil accounts for 48.81% of the total natural area of the study area; medium degradation accounts for 22.07%; and severe degradation accounts for 19.66%. The study results show that most of the soil in the study area is at a moderate to severe level of degradation and shows the need for synchronous implementation of reasonable solutions to prevent degradation and use soil sustainably in the Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam.