RUSLE Model Evaluation of the Soil and Water Conservation Ratio of the Guizhou Province in China between 2000 and 2019

Fayong Fang, Qian Fang, Wanyang Yu, Chunhua Fan, Ruyi Zi and Longshan Zhao
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Fayong Fang: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Qian Fang: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Wanyang Yu: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Chunhua Fan: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Ruyi Zi: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Longshan Zhao: College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-24

Abstract: The soil and water conservation ratio (SWCR), which is a quantitative index for measuring the control degree of soil and water loss, is equal to the percentage of the land areas with a slight erosion intensity in the study area. The dynamic change in the SWCR reflects the dynamic process of realizing a specific soil and water conservation goal in a certain stage. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the change in the SWCR in the Guizhou Province in this century and to analyze its causes. The temporal and spatial variations of soil erosion intensity and SWCR were measured based on GIS technology and revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). The results showed that the spatial pattern of soil erosion intensity in the Guizhou Province was high in the west and low in the southeast, and that the soil erosion characteristics were obviously different between karst and non-karst areas. In the karst areas, the land with a moderate and above erosion intensity (>3 t hm −2 y −1 in the karst area; >25 t hm −2 y −1 in the non-karst area) accounted for 28.20–34.78% of the total area, while only accounting for 2.39–2.72% in the non-karst areas. From 2000 to 2019, the mean intensity of soil erosion decreased from 13.97 to 10.83 t hm −2 y −1 , and the SWCR increased from 32.95% to 35.31%. According to the change in erosion intensity grades, 22.30% of the whole province’s erosion grade changed from high to low, especially in the west, with a high erosion intensity. Meanwhile, about 11.99% of the land in the central, eastern and southeastern regions, was where the erosion intensity showed a slight increase and the spatial distribution showed sporadic patch distribution characteristics, which may be related to an increase in infrastructure investment in the Guizhou Province in recent years. A large number of production and construction projects caused the destruction of surface vegetation and also caused patchy soil erosion. The spatial and temporal characteristics of the soil erosion and the SWCR in the Guizhou Province between 2000 and 2019 were mastered through this study, and our results provide an important basis for further scientific and reasonable soil and water conservation planning work.

Keywords: soil loss tolerance; soil and water conservation ratio (SWCR); RUSLE; karst rocky desertification; soil erosion environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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