Determination of Cover Management and Soil Loss Risk Mapping by Sub-Districts and River Catchments of Cameron Highlands Malaysia

Roslan Zainal Abidin,Mohd Fazly Yusof,Mohd Aminur Rashid Mohd Amiruddin Arumugam,Mohd Amirul Mahamud,Nor Azazi Zakaria

doi:10.3390/land10111181

Roslan Zainal Abidin, Mohd Fazly Yusof + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/land10111181

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Abstract

Uncontrolled deforestation and land clearing for agricultural, urban development, and infrastructure construction without considering cover management (C&P) factors have resulted in severe soil erosion over the land surface of Cameron Highlands in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. Thus, this study determines the C&P factors for the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) to forecast soil loss risk. Land use and land cover recorded by PLANMalaysia and the Department of Agriculture (DOA) Malaysia have produced different C&P factors in Cameron Highlands. The C&P factor produced from PLANMalaysia and the DOA has values ranging between 0.01 to 1.00 and 0.30 to 0.49, respectively. Since the C&P factor varies according to the data source, this study combined both data sources to capture both agricultural and urban development impacts, resulting in an acceptable C&P factor. These new C&P factors have improved the prediction of soil loss risk with 15.63% (10,581.86 hectares) of the Cameron Highlands area classified as having a moderate–critical soil loss risk compared to DOA 7.16% (4844.97 hectares) and PLANMalaysia’s 11.46% (7725.26 hectares). Thus, local authorities must strengthen all regulations and policies to address the predicted moderate–critical soil loss risk in Cameron Highlands, thereby preventing severe soil erosion.

Highlights

Soil erosion significantly impacts on land degradation globally [1,2] and can be defined as the excessive soil removal by erosion agents that lead to soil degradation [2]
C&P factors play an important role in determining the soil erosion in Cameron Highlands district, included in the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) equation
The new C factor established from this study is a combination of data from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and PLANMalaysia, to collect all inputs in deriving an acceptable C factor for soil erosion risk analysis

Summary

Introduction

Soil erosion significantly impacts on land degradation globally [1,2] and can be defined as the excessive soil removal by erosion agents that lead to soil degradation [2]. Soil erosion has become a global environmental problem, especially for developing and undeveloped countries, due to population growth and continuous land clearing activity. Soil erosion has endangered developing nations, such as Malaysia, by destroying fertile topsoil, reducing water holding capacity, reducing water quality, and increasing the risk of flooding [2]. Erosion and sedimentation issues are inevitable in Malaysia due to rapid development of numerous nation pieces, for example, land clearing for lodging, logging, and agribusiness estate [3]. Soil erosion studies assist decision-makers in determining the rate of soil loss in a given region and developing alternative land management measures [2]

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