Abstract
Agricultural expansion and urban development without proper soil erosion control measures have become major environmental problems in Cambodia. Due to a high population growth rate and increased economic activities, land use and land cover (LULC) changes will cause environmental disturbances, particularly soil erosion. This research aimed to estimate total amounts of soil loss using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. LULC maps of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) 2002 and Mekong River Commission (MRC) 2015 were used to evaluate the impact of LULC on soil erosion loss in Stung Sangkae catchment. LULC dynamics for the study periods in Stung Sangkae catchment showed that the catchment experienced a rapid conversion of forests to paddy rice fields and other croplands. The results indicated that the average soil loss from the catchment was 3.1 and 7.6 t/ha/y for the 2002 and 2015 periods, respectively. The estimated total soil loss in the 2002 and 2015 periods was 1.9 million t/y and 4.5 million t/y, respectively. The soil erosion was accelerated by steep slopes combined with the high velocity and erosivity of stormwater runoff. The spatial distribution of soil loss showed that the highest value (14.3 to 62.9 t/ha/y) was recorded in the central, southwestern and upland parts of the catchment. It is recommended that priority should be given to erosion hot spot areas, and appropriate soil and water conservation practices should be adopted to restore degraded lands.
Highlights
Introduction iationsSoil erosion is a major environmental and economic concern in most parts of the world [1,2,3,4] and poses a threat to land, freshwater, and oceans [5]
It is estimated that the average soil erosion by water exceeds 2000 t/km2 /y, which mainly occurs on croplands in tropical areas [3,11]
The various Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) factors identified in this study are shown in Table 5 and Figure 5
Summary
Soil erosion is a major environmental and economic concern in most parts of the world [1,2,3,4] and poses a threat to land, freshwater, and oceans [5]. This threat may result in low agricultural productivity [6], ecological degradation and high sedimentation [3,7,8]. According to Ashiagbor et al [10], and Marondedze et al [9], the estimated average soil erosion rate across the globe ranges between 12 and 15 t/ha/y.
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