The study on the relationship between land use and soil erosion in the Hengduan mountainous region of the Eastern Tibet

Abstract

land use is the main human disturbance to accelerate the soil erosion. According to the land use types of the Hengduan mountainous region in the Eastern Tibet, this paper discussed the influence of the land use on the soil erosion type, erosion intensity and erosion spatial distribution. It indicated that the soil erosion types changed accordingly with land use changes. Freeze-thaw erosion and water erosion mainly happened on the grassland, water erosion happened on the farmland and mass erosion happened on the bare rock and exposed soil. Land use structure had a great influence on soil erosion types and intensity. The low coverage grassland and farmland transformed from grassland had the biggest erosion intensity, both of which were human disturbed violently. The coverage decided the soil erosion intensity of grassland and the plough origin decided the soil erosion intensity of farmland. When the land use happened on the abrupt slope or within the zone of big difference in elevation, the soil erosion intensity always was severe and soil erosion situation became complicated.