Sustainable Land Management for Mitigating Soil Erosion at the Catchment Scale

Abstract

This study addresses this challenge by focusing on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to combat excessive soil erosion rates within the Kayacık Dam Basin, located in the semi-arid region of the Tigris-Euphrates Basin in Türkiye. The primary objective is to maintain an average annual soil loss of no more than 10 tons per hectare. To achieve this, the RUSLE model is employed to evaluate sustainable land management (SLM) strategies. These strategies encompass agronomic, vegetative, and structural measures, all of which are intricately linked to RUSLE's C and P factors. Spatial analysis reveals that severe erosion (10-20 t ha-1 y-1) is predominantly concentrated in agricultural areas, spanning 2536.37 hectares. In contrast, very severe erosion (>20 t ha-1 y-1) affects 834.13 hectares of grassland. Statistical analyses underscore the significant contributions of various model factors to predicted soil losses (A). LS, C, K, and R factors account for 80.24%, 44.68%, 0.97%, and 0.27% of the effect, respectively. Remarkably, topography exerts the most substantial influence on agriculture, pasture, and forest/other land uses, contributing 84.46%, 57.29%, and 39.27% to the variation, respectively. These findings highlight the pivotal role of effective agronomic and vegetative practices in ecosystems management, especially within steep-slope landscapes encompassing agriculture, grassland, and forest. Furthermore, the semi-arid regions under investigation contend with the intricate interplay of heightened drought risk and the ramifications of intensive irrigated agriculture on soil erosion. This complex dynamic presents distinct challenges for implementing SLM strategies in the face of evolving climatic conditions and underscores the need for climate-resilient solutions.