Determination of Cover and Land Management Factors for Soil Loss Prediction in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Mohd Amirul Mahamud,Noor Aida Saad,Mohd Fazly Yusof,Md Nasir Md Noh,Safari Mat Desa,Nor Azazi Zakaria,Mohd Aminur Rashid Mohd Amiruddin Arumugam,Roslan Zainal Abidin

doi:10.3390/agriculture12010016

Mohd Amirul Mahamud, Noor Aida Saad + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12010016

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Abstract

Many new agricultural activities resulted in severe soil erosion across the Cameron Highlands’ land surface. Therefore, this study determines the cover (C) and land management (P) factors of the USLE for predicting soil loss risk in Cameron Highlands using a Geographic Information System (GIS). For this study, data from the Department of Agriculture Malaysia (DOAM) and the Department of Town and Country Planning Malaysia (PLANMalaysia) were used to generate several C&P factors in the Cameron Highlands. Data from both agencies have resulted in C factors with 0.01 to 1.00 and P factors with 0.30 to 0.49. Due to the cover and land management factor varies depending on the data collected by the various agencies, this study used the two data sets to come up with a C&P factor that accurately reflected both agricultural and urban growth effects. RKLS factors of USLE were obtained from the DOAM with values R (2375–2875), K (0.005), LS (2.5–25), respectively. The Cameron Highlands’ soil loss risk with these new C&P values resulted in a soil loss of 6.72 per cent (4547.22 hectares) from high to critical, with a percentage difference range of −0.77 to +3.37 under both agencies, respectively.

Highlights

Soil erosion is a key effect of land degradation worldwide and is described as removing too much soil by erosion agents [1,2]
The Department of Agriculture Malaysia [21], the Department of Town and Country Planning Malaysia [24], and the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia [22] were among the sources of spatial data
In Cameron Highlands, the RKLS and new C&P factors are incorporated into the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) equation to predict soil loss

Summary

Introduction

Soil erosion is a key effect of land degradation worldwide and is described as removing too much soil by erosion agents [1,2]. Soil erosion has become a worldwide issue due to population growth and continued land-clearing activities, in developing and underdeveloped countries [3]. Soil erosion has put developing countries such as Malaysia in danger by causing the loss of rich topsoil, reducing water storage capacity and water quality, and increasing flood hazards [2]. Erosion and sedimentation problems are inevitable, as many places in Malaysia are undergoing dramatic changes, including land reclamation for housing, forestry, and agricultural estates [1,2,3,4]. Soil erosion research helps decision makers estimate the amount of soil loss in a specific location and propose alternative land management methods [4]

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