Mitigate Soil Erosion Research Articles

Wildfires in Europe: Burned soils require attention

Annually, millions of hectares of land are affected by wildfires worldwide, disrupting ecosystems functioning by affecting on-site vegetation, soil, and above- and belowground biodiversity, but also triggering erosive off-site impacts such as water-bodies contamination or mudflows. Here, we present a soil erosion assessment following the 2017's wildfires at the European scale, including an analysis of vegetation recovery and soil erosion mitigation potential. Results indicate a sharp increase in soil losses with 19.4 million Mg additional erosion in the first post-fire year when compared to unburned conditions. Over five years, 44 million Mg additional soil losses were estimated, and 46% of the burned area presented no signs of full recovery. Post-fire mitigation could attenuate these impacts by 63–77%, reducing soil erosion to background levels by the 4th post-fire year. Our insights may help identifying target policies to reduce land degradation, as identified in the European Union Soil, Forest, and Biodiversity strategies.

BSC (biological soil crust) Method for soil erosion control and vegetation recovery: Case studies in Japan

The biological soil crust (BSC) is a naturally occurring vegetation layer in the topsoil that is composed of a diverse array of microscopic living organisms such as cyanobacteria, green algae, lichen, liverworts, moss, micro-fungi, and other bacteria. BSC cover is well recognized for mitigating soil erosion caused by wind forces and overland flow. By forming a sheet-like soil microbe community, BSC cover can bind loose soil particles, stabilize and protect soil surfaces. This article reviews the applications of human-induced BSC, namely BSC Method, that was developed by the Japanese company Nippon Koei Co. Ltd. The BSC Method utilizes an algal species called BSC-1. We also discussed the BSC projects undertaken by Nippon Koei Co. Ltd between 2016 and 2021. BSC Method has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing and controlling soil erosion and regenerating vegetation; this method is simple, eco-friendly, and inexpensive.

Informing versus generating a discussion: Comparing two approaches to encouraging mitigation of soil erosion among Maasai pastoralists

Soil erosion is a critical problem for pastoralist societies that rely on healthy grazing land for their livelihoods. Previous research suggests that unsustainable land management practice is one of the factors exacerbating soil erosion, and that willingness to adjust this practice is closely linked to community land protection norms. The present research explores approaches to building stronger community norms and intentions linked to mitigating soil erosion among Maasai pastoralists in Northern Tanzania. In particular, we compare two impact approaches based on the information deficit model (exposure to scientific information) and the social identity framework (a group-based discussion). The results demonstrate that the information deficit approach results in stronger perceived land protection norms and, indirectly, stronger intentions, as compared to the discussion-based approach. We discuss contextual features that should be taken into account when interpreting these findings and suggest these may be key for impact approach choices.

The influence of rainfall interception on the erosive power of raindrops under the birch tree

Healthy soils are one of the key priorities of the EU Soil Strategy, and soil erosion can present a threat to soils around the world. Rainfall erosivity is the main driver of soil erosion by water. Rainfall interception by vegetation can reduce the erosive power of raindrops, and consequently measures involving vegetation can mitigate soil erosion losses. In this study, the effect of rainfall interception on the erosive power of raindrops under the birch tree in an urban park in the city of Ljubljana is investigated. More than one year of measurements of drop-size distribution using two optical disdrometers placed above and below the birch tree canopy were used to investigate the impact of rainfall interception on the erosive power of raindrops. The number of drops, fall velocity, and drop diameter were, on average smaller below the canopy in comparison to the measurements above the canopy for 20%, 7% and 27%, respectively. This also resulted in a reduction in the rainfall kinetic energy (3% and 30% in the leafless and leafed periods, respectively) and rainfall erosivity (21% and 50% for the leafless and leafed periods, respectively). The results demonstrate that rainfall interception has a significant seasonal influence on the erosive power of raindrops. Therefore, vegetation characteristics should be considered as time-varying rather than constant parameters in soil erosion modelling studies.

Grass coverage and the runoff path length decreased by sedimentation have synergistic effects on runoff and sediment yields in a slope-gully system, revealed by rainfall simulation experiments

Slope-gully systems on the Loess Plateau, China cause severe soil erosion. Planting vegetation and the construction of check dams are the most effective measures utilized for the mitigation of soil erosion in this region. Among them, due to the sedimentation behind the dam, the erosion basis was lifted, resulting in a decrease of the runoff path length (Runoff Path Length Decrease; RPLD) of the slope-gully system. However, the synergistic effects of vegetation and check dams to reduce the runoff and sediment yields of the slope-gully system has not been addressed often. In the present study, 10 physical models of slope-gully systems, including grass coverage on a slope (0% and 33%) and the RPLD (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 m), were constructed to evaluate the synergistic effects of these measures. The results indicated that grass coverage reduced runoff and sediment yields by 42.63% and 25.66%, respectively. The combination of grass coverage and RPLD could control water erosion of slope-gully systems more effectively than the independent measures. With increasing RPLD, the runoff and sediment yield reduced significantly. Grass coverage and RPLD exhibited a synergistic effect on the erosion caused by water, which increased with RPLD as follows: 4 m (19.83%) > 3 m (18.68%) > 2 m (17.39%) > 1 m (16.70%). These results demonstrate that grass coverage on slopes and the RPLD synergistically influence hydrological processes. The synergistic effects not only should be incorporated to develop soil and water conservation regulations, but also should be considered in soil erosion models.

In Vitro Fermentation of Browsable Native Shrubs in New Zealand.

Information on the nutritive value and in vitro fermentation characteristics of native shrubs in New Zealand is scant. This is despite their potential as alternatives to exotic trees and shrubs for supplementary fodder, and their mitigation of greenhouse gases and soil erosion on hill-country sheep and beef farms. The objectives of this study were to measure the in vitro fermentation gas production, predict the parameters of the in vitro fermentation kinetics, and estimate the in vitro fermentation of volatile fatty acids (VFA), microbial biomass (MBM), and greenhouse gases of four native shrubs (Coprosma robusta, Griselinia littoralis, Hoheria populnea, and Pittosporum crassifolium) and an exotic fodder tree species, Salix schwerinii. The total in vitro gas production was higher (p < 0.05) for the natives than for the S. schwerinii. A prediction using the single-pool model resulted in biologically incorrect negative in vitro total gas production from the immediately soluble fraction of the native shrubs. However, the dual pool model better predicted the in vitro total gas production and was in alignment with the measured in vitro fermentation end products. The in vitro VFA and greenhouse gas production from the fermentation of leaf and stem material was higher (p < 0.05), and the MBM lower (p < 0.05), for the native shrubs compared to the S. schwerinii. The lower in vitro total gas production, VFA, and greenhouse gases production and higher MBM of the S. schwerinii may be explained by the presence of condensed tannins (CT), although this was not measured and requires further study. In conclusion, the results from this study suggest that when consumed by ruminant livestock, browsable native shrubs can provide adequate energy and microbial protein, and that greenhouse-gas production from these species is within the ranges reported for typical New Zealand pastures.

An alternative to the Grain for Green Program for soil and water conservation in the upper Huaihe River basin, China

Study regionThe Xixian Watershed is an agricultural watershed in the upper Huaihe River basin, China, which suffers severe soil erosion. Study focusConverting the types of agricultural production without losing their agricultural purposes would be a choice for mitigating soil erosion compared to the Grain for Green Program (GGP). The Conversion of Land Use and its Effect at Small regional extent (CLUE-S) model and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model were used, and four land-use scenarios (S1: preference for dry land; S2: historical trend; S3: preference for paddy land; and S4: grain for green) were designed based on different preference in agricultural land and the GGP. The responses of runoff, sediment yields, and economic benefits were compared under each land-use scenario. New hydrological insights for the regionWe find that S1 increases runoff and sediment yields, S3 and S4 decrease runoff and sediment yields, and S2 slightly increases runoff and reduces sediment yields. Different types of agricultural land mainly affected runoff by redistributing surface and subsurface runoffs. Paddy land would increase subsurface runoff and decrease surface runoff and sediment yields, in contrast to dry land. The economic benefit could be increased under S3 and be opposite under other scenarios. Promoting paddy farming in a water-rich watershed can mitigate soil erosion, conserve groundwater, and gain more economic benefits simultaneously.

Soil Aggregate Stability and Carbon Density in Three Plantations in the Loess Plateau, China

Afforestation plays an important role in mitigating soil erosion and improving soil quality in the Loess Plateau. However, there is no consistent conclusion about the effect of tree species on soil properties. Robinia pseudoacacia, Pinus tabulaeformis, and Malus pumila plantations were selected as the research objects. Soil indices such as the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and inorganic carbon (SIC), carbon density, soil aggregate stability, and bulk density were selected to study the effects of different plantations on soil properties. The mean weight diameter (MWD) was calculated to evaluate soil aggregate stability. The results showed that: (1) MWD of R. pseudoacacia was 22%–67% lower than that of P. tabuliformis across the 0–80 cm soil layers. MWD of M. pumila was 27%–45% and 57%–78% lower than that of R. pseudoacacia and P. tabuliformis across 0–50 cm layers. (2) SOC of P. tabuliformis was 61%–127% and 67%–148% higher than that of R. pseudoacacia and M. pumila, respectively, while SIC was 55%–82% and 12%–14% lower than that of R. pseudoacacia and M. pumila. (3) Soil carbon density, including soil organic carbon density and inorganic carbon density, of P. tabuliformis was 36%–49% and 3%–31% lower than that of R. pseudoacacia and M. pumila, respectively. (4) Aggregate organic carbon increased with increasing aggregate size, while inorganic carbon decreased. Water-stable aggregates with larger sizes had higher soil organic carbon and lower carbonate calcium. (5) The inorganic carbon in soil was both a binder and a dispersant of soil aggregates, which depends on its content. P. tabuliformis should be planted in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau in China, because this species was able to increase soil organic matter and improve soil structure compared with the other two species.

Water retention and infiltration affected by conventional and conservational tillage on a maize plot; rainfall simulator and infiltrometer comparison study

Tillage practices have a profound influence on the propensity for overland flow formation. The hydrological behavior of nine experimental plots was investigated by means of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and water retention analysis provided by single-ring infiltrometer (INF) and rainfall simulator (RS) infiltration measurements. The applied management practices encompassed no-tillage, reduced tillage and several forms of conventional tillage methods. Specifically, the influence of wide and narrow sowing rows and the use of cover crops were examined. Finally, the applicability of INF and RS for overland flow formation evaluation on cropped plots was compared. The reduced tillage practices resulted in the Ks and water retention increase, implying a lower propensity for overland flow formation. The Ks in the reduced tillage plots were higher by 30–50% compared to conventionally tilled and by 20% compared to no-tilled plots, respectively. The differences in water retention were less straightforward as the reduced tilled plots exhibited higher retention than conventionally tilled plots (by >20%) but lower values compared to no-tilled plots in June (by 15%). The utilization of narrow sowing rows generally resulted in higher Ks and enhanced water retention compared to wide rows. The use of cover crops in the conventionally tilled plots led to a 40% increase in Ks and a 90% increase in water retention. Hence, the use of reduced tillage, narrow sowing rows or cover crops in the conventionally tilled plots were found desirable for the mitigation of soil erosion, flash flood occurrence and sufficient groundwater recharge. Eight times higher variance of Ks using a single-ring infiltrometer compared to RS indicated the incomparability of these two methods. Therefore, the RS should be considered as a benchmark for evaluating the propensity to overland flow formation on cropped plots.

A high-resolution physical modelling approach to assess runoff and soil erosion in vineyards under different soil managements

Steep-slope viticulture is a common practice in the Mediterranean basin, and provides landscapes of considerable socio-economic value. However, these complex agricultural systems are intrinsically fragile. One of the main problems is soil erosion due to extreme rainfall events. This may cause a progressive reduction in soil fertility and the occurrence of instabilities and land degradation phenomena. To worsen this condition there is the increasing mechanisation of agricultural management causing soil compaction, and the pressure of climate change, with an intensification of extreme weather events. In this context, vineyard soil management plays a key role, as it can accelerate or mitigate overland flow and soil erosion phenomena. There are various techniques for quantifying these processes, often based on field measurements through prolonged data collection using experimental plots. However, the advent of new technologies in remote sensing opens new frontiers in the acquisition of high-resolution spatial data. Indeed, they could be used in runoff/erosion simulation models and integrated with site-specific data.The aim of this paper is to assess runoff and soil erosion processes in vineyard under four different soil managements. Specifically, four practices were tested: (1) Reference (inter-row managed with standard farm grass cover; RF); (2) Continuous Tillage (bare soil obtained by continuous mechanical weeding using roto-tiller; CT); Nectariferous (a mix of herbaceous species capable of attracting insects favouring inter-row biodiversity; NF); (4) Single Tillage (inter-row weeding once a year using roto-tiller; ST). The research proposes a modelling approach using a physically-based model (SIMWE) using samples of runoff and sediment as an assessment, collected with a low-cost methodology. In particular, a cost-effective approach easily replicable in different contexts (such as developing countries) is sought. In addition to cultivation specifics, areas of soil compacted by the passage of agricultural vehicles were also analysed using the connectivity index. In general, results show an interesting capacity of ST in mitigating soil erosion, as well as for NF. Furthermore, the negative role of wheel tracks as preferential pathways for surface runoff and sediment is highlighted. Finally, the work shows that CT aggravated soil erosion as compared to RF.

Soil Bunds Effect on Soil Properties under Different Topographies of Southwest Ethiopia

Soil erosion is a major environmental problem affecting development endeavors. Physical soil and water conservation (SWC) measures such as soil bunds are implemented to mitigate soil erosion. However, information on the effects of soil bunds on soil fertility is limited. This study aimed to evaluate soil quality in fields with soil bunds and with no soil bunds in steep, middle and lower sloping cultivated lands as well as spatial variation of soil properties in between bunds in southwest Ethiopia. About 7-15 years old bunds and nearby cultivated fields lacking bunds were assessed. From 0 cm-20 cm soil depth, 36 soil samples were collected. Soil texture, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (Ntot) and exchangeable potassium (Kexch) were analyzed. Soil bunds showed significantly (p&lt;0.0.5) greater clay but less sand than adjacent no-bund fields. In steep, middle, and lower slopes, concentrations of SOC and Kexch were greater in fields with soil bunds than without. Lower slope fields showed greater clay, SOC and nutrients than steep slopes. In between soil bunds, soil was more fertile at bunds than below the bunds. In Fanta watershed, soil bunds are a vital conservation measure to retain soil fertility in cultivated mountainous areas.

Tillage Management Impacts on Soil Phosphorus Variability under Maize–Soybean Rotation in Eastern Canada

Conservation tillage, including no-tillage (NT), is being used increasingly with respect to conventional tillage (CT) to mitigate soil erosion, improve water conservation and prevent land degradation. However, NT increases soil phosphorus (P) stratification, causing P runoff and eutrophication. For sustainable P management, fertilization must be balanced between P sources and actual crop demand. To reduce P losses to the environment, it is important to better understand P spatial variability in NT fields. Little is known about tillage impacts on field-scale P spatial variabi-lity in precision agriculture. This study examines tillage impacts on spatial variability of soil-avai-lable P in a maize–soybean rotation, in two commercial fields, denoted CT (10.8 ha) and NT (9.5 ha), with the aim of improving P fertilizer recommendations in Eastern Canada. NPK fertilizers were applied to the soils (Humic Gleysols) following local recommendations. Soil samples were collected in fall 2014 in regular 35 m by 35 m grids, at 0–5 and 5–20 cm depths, providing 141 and 134 geore-ferenced points for CT and NT fields, respectively. Available P and other elements were analyzed by Mehlich-3 extraction (M3), and the P saturation index (P/Al)M3 was calculated. Variability of soil-available P in both fields ranged from moderate to very high (32% to 60%). A mean (P/Al)M3 of 3% was found in both layers under CT, compared to 8% in the 0–5 cm layer and 6% in the 5–20 cm layer under NT. Relationships between P indices and other elements differed between tillage practices. This study highlights the need to improve P fertilizer recommendations in Eastern Canada.

Multi-temporal geomorphometric analysis to assess soil erosion under different tillage practices: A methodological case study

Soil erosion is one of the main environmental threats to sustainability and crop productivity in the agricultural sector. In agricultural fields, no-till management is considered a key approach for mitigating soil erosion. The measurement of soil erosion is particularly challenging, especially when surficial morphological changes are relatively small. Conventional experiments are commonly time-consuming and labour-intensive in terms of both field surveys and laboratory methods. On the other hand, the structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry technique has enhanced the experimental activities by enabling the temporal evolution of soil erosion to be assessed through detailed micro-topography. This work presents a multitemporal quantification of soil erosion, using SfM through uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) survey for understanding the evolution of no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) in experimental plots. Considering that morphological changes at the plot scale had millimetre orders of magnitude, it was necessary to minimise SfM errors (e.g., co-registration and interpolation) in volumetric estimates to reduce noise as much as possible. Therefore, a methodological workflow was developed to analyse and identify the effectiveness of multi-temporal SfMderived products, e.g., the conventional difference of digital terrain models (DoDs) and the less used differences of meshes (DoMs), for soil volume computations. We validated the erosion volumetric changes calculated from the SfM outputs with the amount of soil directly collected through conventional runoff and sediment measurements in the field. In this way, we recognised the most suitable estimation method. This study presents a novel approach for using DoMs instead of DoDs to describe the microtopography changes and sediment dynamics accurately. Another key and innovative aspect of this work often overlooked in soil erosion studies, was identifying the contributing sediment surface by delineating the channels potentially routing runoff directly to water collectors. The sediment paths and connected areas inside the plots were identified using a multi-temporal analysis of the sediment connectivity index for achieving the volumetric estimates, using DoMs (e.g., 2213 cm3 for no-till management system - NT and 38155 cm3 for conventional tillage regime - CT during September 2018-June 2020) that showed mild overestimation respect to field measurements results (e.g., 2359 cm3 for NT and 4525 cm3 for CT in the same period). This difference was attributable to other factors (e.g., the soil compaction processes) or variables rather than to photogrammetric or geometric ones. The developed workflow enabled low cos quantification of soil erosion dynamics for assessing the mitigation effects of no-till management that can also be extended in the future to different scales, based on SfM and UAV technologies.

Simulating the potential effects of elevated CO2 concentration and temperature coupled with storm intensification on crop yield, surface runoff, and soil loss based on 25 GCMs ensemble: A site-specific case study in Oklahoma

Proper simulation of storm intensification is critical in projecting crop yield, surface runoff, and soil loss under climate change conditions. We developed a total of 100 climate scenarios coupled with storm intensification, which were based on 25 downscaled GCMs (General Circulation Model) projections under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 (Representative Concentration Pathways) for two time periods of 2021–2050 and 2051–2080. The climate files were applied to a modified WEPP (Water Erosion Prediction Project) model to estimate crop yield, runoff, and soil loss under 29 combinations of cropping and tillage systems. The results showed that future extreme storm events in the study area would significantly increase during 2021–2080 (P < 0.01). However, average monthly precipitation in summer would decrease by 12.5% in June and 10.8% in July, along with an annual precipitation decline of 2.6%, leading to a decrease in crop yield in this rainfed agricultural region. The amount of runoff (soil loss) from extreme storms would account for 45.9 (64.3%) of the total annual runoff (soil loss) when averaged across two time periods and two RCPs. The average annual runoff depth (soil loss amount) from crop rotation or double cropping systems would be 27.6 (78.1%) less than the corresponding values in a continuous monoculture cropping system. No-till and crop rotations with alfalfa are the best agricultural management alternatives to mitigate soil erosion rates under future climate change. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the uncertainty contributions of GCMs and cropping and tillage systems reached 45.5% and 30.4% in annual surface runoff prediction (P < 0.001), while cropping and tillage systems (71.7%, P < 0.001) was the major uncertainty source in annual soil loss simulations. This study improved the prediction of crop yield, runoff, and soil loss from various cropping and tillage systems under climate change conditions by integrating storm intensification from multiple GCM ensembles.

The effect of natural infrastructure on water erosion mitigation in the Andes

Abstract. To expand the knowledge base on natural infrastructure for erosion mitigation in the Andes, it is necessary to move beyond case by case empirical studies to comprehensive assessments. This study reviews the state of evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to mitigate soil erosion by water and is based on Andean case studies published in gray and peer-reviewed literature. Based on a systematic review of 118 case studies from the Andes, this study addressed the following research questions. (1) Which erosion indicators allow us to assess the effectiveness of natural infrastructure? (2) What is the overall impact of working with natural infrastructure on on-site and off-site erosion mitigation? (3) Which locations and types of studies are needed to fill critical gaps in knowledge and research? Three major categories of natural infrastructure were considered: restoration and protection of natural vegetation, such as forest or native grasslands, forestation with native or exotic species and implementation of soil and water conservation measures for erosion mitigation. From the suite of physical, chemical and biological indicators commonly used in soil erosion research, two indicators were particularly relevant: soil organic carbon of topsoil and soil loss rates at plot scale. The protection and conservation of natural vegetation has the strongest effect on soil quality, with 3.01±0.893 times higher soil organic carbon content in the topsoil compared to control sites. Soil quality improvements are significant but lower for forestation and soil and water conservation measures. Soil and water conservation measures reduce soil erosion to 62.1 % ± 9.2 %, even though erosion mitigation is highest when natural vegetation is maintained. Further research is needed to evaluate whether the reported effectiveness holds during extreme events related to, for example, El Niño–Southern Oscillation.

Introducing Management Actions to Unmanaged Campsites in Daisetsuzan National Park, Japan: A Discussion Based on a Reservation System in Taiwan’s National Parks

A limit on use is often practiced overnight in mountain national parks to reduce users’ environmental impact on campgrounds and cabins or huts, where they spend most of their time. This study aims to propose an appropriate management system to mitigate the problems observed in Daisetsuzan National Park’s unmanaged campsites. We looked into three mountain national parks in Taiwan to learn about an established campground reservation system. We collected information on campgrounds and cabins in these three national parks through a literature review and internet surveys. The distribution of campgrounds and cabins was mapped using ArcMap 10.8.1. They effectively reduced the distance between adjacent campgrounds and controlled each campground’s area. This was done by tolerating some informal sites among online reservable campgrounds. The results of the interview surveys with the three park managers showed that the reservation system helped reduce the crowding problem. Introducing a lenient reservation system, with the support of related stakeholders and park users, would be a promising option to mitigate soil erosion and overuse problems in campsites in Daisetsuzan National Park’s alpine zone and in other campsites in fragile environments worldwide.

Simulated event‐scale flow and sediment generation responses to agricultural land cover change in lowland UK catchments

AbstractAgricultural land use can increase runoff and erosion leading to detrimental downstream impacts. This paper examines the impact of agricultural land cover change on runoff and sediment generation at event scales using a model‐based approach. SHETRAN, a physically based, spatially distributed model, was applied in two southwest England catchments to represent: (a) changes in the land cover (cropland extent and spatial arrangement), (b) changes in crop type and (c) use of riparian buffer strips. A total of 84 simulated events within a 4‐year period were used to quantify impacts on flow and sediment generation. We found past changes in land cover resulted in significant differences in sediment yield (p &lt; 0.05). Linear regression showed an increase in flow and sediment yield proportional to increases in arable crop area (p &lt; 0.001). The spatial arrangement of cropped fields and riparian buffer strips produced no significant differences in event flow or sediment yield (p &gt; 0.05). However, buffer strip scenarios compared with the base run showed sediment load reductions for specific events, up to 20% and 15% for woodland and grass riparian buffers, respectively. When comparing crop types with and without the use of post‐harvest cover crops, we observed non‐significant differences for event flow and sediment yield. However, large reductions in modelled sediment yields occurred for some events (e.g., up to 60% for winter cereals, 50% for maize and 74% for spring cereals). For these scenarios, examination of rainfall event magnitude emphasized the importance of ground cover in mitigating soil erosion for maize and spring cereals, but not for winter cereals. Our findings indicate that significant changes in sediment delivery at the event scale over a multi‐year period are associated with variations in cropland extent and crop types, depending on rainfall magnitude, but not on the spatial arrangement of cropped fields or the use of riparian buffer strips.

Factors supporting the adoption of soil conservation practices: Evidence from Ecuadorian smallholder farmers

AbstractThe modernization of agricultural practices has been widespread in South America since the 1970s. The main practices implemented included the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary control based on synthetic elements, and agricultural mechanization for plowing. These activities affect soil quality and make soils more dependent on fertilizer imports throughout the continent. At the same time, the intensification of agricultural activity also increased CO2 emissions in South America from less than 150 thousand gigagrams in 1977 to more than 280 thousand gigagrams in 2017, which translates into a greater burden of agriculture on the environment. Ecuador is one of the South American countries that share several social, climatic, and topographic characteristics common in the region; therefore, it is interesting to study the factors that help mitigate soil erosion processes resulting from agricultural activity. For this purpose, this study performs the estimation of a Tobit model with the information of the agricultural units with seasonal crops present in the Continuous Agricultural Surface and Production Survey of 2018. For the model approach, the number of soil conservation practices (SCP) in each farm is considered as the dependent variable. The estimation results show that there is a positive relationship between farms that are managed by women and the number of SCP implemented: the same result was obtained with respect to agricultural investment by local governments. However, it was found that farms with government technical assistance implemented fewer SCPs, which opens the debate on the importance of soil conservation in public policy.

Soil conservation service underpins sustainable development goals

Soil conservation service (SCS), one of the vital ecosystem services, represents the ecosystem’s capacity to conserve soil and control erosion. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires multidisciplinary efforts in which SCS plays a key role. However, the coupling analysis of SCS and the SDGs is lacking. We analysed SCS’s contribution to the SDGs by a case study in China and a global expert questionnaire and explored systematic strategies to improve SCS implementation. The results showed that i) SCS ensures the SDG achievement by mitigating soil erosion; ii) SCS showed a significant and positive relationship (coef. = 0.41, p < 0.01) with SDG 15 (Life on land) in China. Moreover, SCS supports multiple SDGs by regulating ecological processes, producing food and products, and providing social and cultural values. More than 50% of respondents recognised that SCS benefits SDG 15, SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation). Finally, to be goal-oriented, we presented an SDG-holistic guiding framework to promote SCS for the SDG achievement, thus harnessing the SCS’s roles in social, economic, and eco-environmental sustainability. Altogether, our work highlights the associations between the SDGs and SCS, which is key to recognising the contribution of soils and ESs to sustainable development.

Estimation of Potential Soil Erosion and Sediment Yield: A Case Study of the Transboundary Chenab River Catchment

Near real-time estimation of soil loss from river catchments is crucial for minimizing environmental degradation of complex river basins. The Chenab river is one of the most complex river basins of the world and is facing severe soil loss due to extreme hydrometeorological conditions, unpredictable hydrologic response, and complex orography. Resultantly, huge soil erosion and sediment yield (SY) not only cause irreversible environmental degradation in the Chenab river catchment but also deteriorate the downstream water resources. In this study, potential soil erosion (PSE) is estimated from the transboundary Chenab river catchment using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), coupled with remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS). Land Use of the European Space Agency (ESA), Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data, and world soil map of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization were incorporated into the study. The SY was estimated on monthly, quarterly, seasonal, and annual time-scales using sediment delivery ratio (SDR) estimated through the area, slope, and curve number (CN)-based approaches. The 30-year average PSE from the Chenab river catchment was estimated as 177.8, 61.5, 310.3, 39.5, 26.9, 47.1, and 99.1 tons/ha for annual, rabi, kharif, fall, winter, spring, and summer time scales, respectively. The 30-year average annual SY from the Chenab river catchment was estimated as 4.086, 6.163, and 7.502 million tons based on area, slope, and CN approaches. The time series trends analysis of SY indicated an increase of 0.0895, 0.1387, and 0.1698 million tons per year for area, slope, and CN-based approaches, respectively. It is recommended that the areas, except for slight erosion intensity, should be focused on framing strategies for control and mitigation of soil erosion in the Chenab river catchment.