Estimating the Soil Erosion Response to Land-Use Change Using GIS-Based RUSLE and Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Heilongjiang Province, China

Abstract

Understanding soil erosion in the northeastern area of China with black soil is vital for protecting the natural environment and preserving food security. Although spatial and temporal studies of soil erosion have been conducted, further research is needed on the correlation between soil erosion and land use type changes. In this study, the soil erosion modulus is computed using RUSLE. The model that is most suitable to the research area was produced by contrasting three different approaches to estimating the rainfall erosion factor. The RUSLE based on the multi-year continuous high-density hourly average precipitation had the best performance of the bunch, with a MAPE of 15.49%, RMSPE of 7.99%, and R2 of 0.99. Based on this model, simulated soil erosion trends in the study region from 1980 to 2020 were examined, along with the link between soil erosion and land use change. The results showed that 40.47% of the overall erosion area is made up of cultivated land, and 97.83% of it is low erosion. The most severe soil erosion occurred on unused land, with moderate and above soil erosion occupying 48.93%. Since 2000, there has been an increase in the erosion of soil in the study region, which is primarily spatially represented in the rise in the soil erosion of forests in the central and northern mountainous areas. The study’s findings serve as a guide for land planning and the development of sustainable agriculture.