Abstract
Abstract Soil erosion is a major environmental problem that affects people's livelihoods and environmental health, particularly in developing countries. The present study aimed to identify soil erosion hotspot areas and prioritization in the Anger River sub-basin for conservation planning. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and geospatial technologies were adopted to identify soil erosion hotspot areas and prioritization of the sub-watershed for conservation planning. Key parameters such as rainfall data, soil data, slope length and steepness factor, cover management, and conservation practices were used to estimate potential soil erosion risk in the sub-watershed. The results showed that the annual soil loss rate in the Anger River Sub-basin ranged between 0 and 932.6 t/ha/year with a mean annual soil loss of 83.7 t/ha/year. About 1,140.7 km2 (43.6%) and 220.6 km2 (8.4%) were categorized under very severe and severe soil loss types, respectively. The mid- and upstream areas, as well as the steeper parts of the sub-watershed, were highly exposed to soil erosion. This research provides tangible evidence in the decision-making process for soil and water conservation practices at a sub-watershed scale. Moreover, further research should be conducted at a micro-watershed scale to minimize the effects of soil erosion on the health and sustainability of the watershed.
Highlights
Soil erosion is one of the environmental problems that hinder the implementation of the first (No poverty) and second (Zero hunger) United States Sustainable Development Goals by providing declining soil fertility (OFID 2016)
An analysis of the land-use land-cover (LULC) result showed that 73.4% of the study area is covered by cultivated land, while 12.5% is covered by forest land
Soil erosion loss estimation Soil erosion loss estimation results showed that the annual soil loss rates in the study area range between 0 and 932.6 t/ha/ year, producing a mean annual soil loss of 83.7 t/ha/year (Figure 9(a))
Summary
Soil erosion is one of the environmental problems that hinder the implementation of the first (No poverty) and second (Zero hunger) United States Sustainable Development Goals by providing declining soil fertility (OFID 2016). Soil erosion is defined as the detachment of soil particles of topsoil by air or water (Maity & Mandal 2019; Aslam et al 2021). It is a common problem in highland areas of the world like East African countries (Girmay et al 2020). Research conducted in the Ethiopian highlands proved that steep slope cultivation, land-use land-cover (LULC) changes, and population growth are the major driving forces behind soil erosion problems (Shiferaw 2011; Tesfaye et al 2018; Atoma et al 2020; Girmay et al 2020). A study by Krisnayanti et al (2021) in Indonesia reported that a large volume of rainfall exceeds the soil infiltration capacity, resulting in excess erosion
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