Abandonment of soil and water conservation structures in Mediterranean ecosystems

Bellin, Nicolas; Wesemael, Bas van; Meerkerk, A.; Vanacker, Veerle; Barberá, Gonzalo G.

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.10.002

Cited by 67 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Lesschen et al (2008) compared the 1984 and current versions of a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to estimate soil losses from bench terraces of south-east Spain, and concluded that average erosion rates are ~87 Mg ha -1 yr -1 , which is comparable to rates reported in some semi-arid badlands. Erosion problems have been exacerbated where re-organization of the drainage system following abandonment has resulted in the incision of new channels and reestablishment of the natural drainage network and connectivity (Gallart et al, 1994;Oostwoud Wijdenes et al, 1999;Bellin et al, 2009;Gallart, 2009;Meerkerk et al, 2009). However, Llorens et al (1997) and Cammeraat et al (2005) reported that plant colonization was rapid and sufficiently dense to reduce landsliding in the Alcoy basin, south-east Spain, and in the eastern Pyrenees.…”

Section: Land-use Intensification and Extensificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

et al. 2013

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Intense erosion processes are widespread in the Mediterranean region, and include sheet wash erosion, rilling, gullying, shallow landsliding, and the development of large and active badlands in both subhumid and semi-arid areas. This review analyses the main environmental and human features related to soil erosion processes, and the main factors that explain the extreme variability of factors influencing soil erosion, particularly recent land use changes. The importance of erosion in the Mediterranean is related to the long history of human activity in a region characterized by low levels of annual precipitation, the occurrence of intense rainstorms and long-lasting droughts, high evapotranspiration, the presence of steep slopes and the occurrence of recent tectonic activity, together with the recurrent use of fire, overgrazing and farming. These factors have resulted in a complex landscape in which intensification and abandonment, wealth and poverty can co-exist. The changing conditions of national and international markets and the evolution of population pressure are now the main drivers explaining land use changes, including farmland abandonment in mountain areas, the expansion of some subsidized crops to marginal lands, and the development of new terraces affected by landslides and intense soil erosion during extreme rainstorm events. The occurrence of human-related forest fires affecting thousands of hectares each year is an increasing problem in both the northern and southern areas of the Mediterranean basin. Here, we highlight the rise of new scientific challenges in controlling the negative consequences of soil erosion in the Mediterranean region: (i) to reduce the effects and extent of forest fires, and restructure the spatial organization of abandoned landscapes; (ii) to provide guidance for making EU agricultural policy more adapted to the complexity and fragility of Mediterranean environments; (iii) to develop field methods and models to improve the identification of runoff and sediment contributing areas; (iv) to contribute to the conservation of landscapes (i.e. bench-terraced fields) having high cultural and productivity values; (v) to improve knowledge of the hydrological and geomorphological functioning of badlands, with the aim of reducing sediment yield and accessibility; (vi) to better understand the effect of climate change on soil erosion in the Mediterranean region; and (vii) to improve quantitative information on long-term soil erosion. COVER LETTER

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Section: Land-use Intensification and Extensificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

et al. 2013

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“…Several studies have assessed actual sediment budgets at the catchment scale, stressing the importance of distributed approaches (e.g. Lenhart et al 2005, Haregeweyn et al 2013), but only a few studies on the regional impact of soil conservation measures have been made (Bellin et al 2009, Lesschen et al 2009, White and Arnold 2009, Nyssen et al 2010, Tuppad et al 2010.…”

confidence: 99%

Targeting of intervention areas to reduce reservoir sedimentation in the Tana catchment (Kenya) using SWAT

Hunink¹,

Niadas

Antonaropoulos

et al. 2013

Hydrological Sciences Journal

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A measurement campaign was carried out in the Upper Tana basin (Kenya) to quantify soil erosion and reservoir sedimentation rates, including a bathymetric reservoir survey and sediment load sampling during one year. Then, distributed soil erosion modelling was performed to study sediment budgets throughout the basin and to evaluate the potential of upstream erosion control through vegetated contour strips and check dams. Finally, the areas where these measures would be most effective were identified and local stakeholder associations to implement them were prioritized. The influence of the scale of implementation was evaluated by using the model to consider three adoption scenarios. This study illustrates the relevance of distributed erosion models to target erosion control measures when sufficient information on the eroding areas is available from field surveys. Bathymetric surveys were fundamental to validate the long-term model response, while point measurements were valuable to verify the spatial variability of model predictions.Key words soil erosion; sediment yield; sedimentation rate; distributed model; SWAT; Kenya; erosion control; soil conservation; watershed management Détermination des zones d'intervention pour la réduction de la sédimentation des réservoirs du bassin du Tana (Kenya) en utilisant SWAT Résumé Une campagne de mesures a été réalisée dans le bassin du Haut Tana (Kenya) afin de quantifier l'érosion des sols et les taux de sédimentation dans le réservoir, comprenant une étude bathymétrique du réservoir et l'échantillonnage des sédiments déposés pendant un an. Une modélisation distribuée de l'érosion des sols a ensuite été réalisée pour étudier le bilan des sédiments dans le bassin et évaluer le potentiel de contrôle de l'érosion en amont, par des bandes de végétation suivant les courbes de niveau et des barrages de retenue. Nous avons enfin identifié les zones où ces mesures seraient les plus efficaces, de même que les associations d'intervenants locaux susceptibles de les mettre en oeuvre. L'influence de la mise en oeuvre a été évaluée en utilisant le modèle selon trois scénarios. Cette étude illustre la pertinence des modèles d'érosion distribués pour concevoir des mesures de lutte contre l'érosion lorsque suffisamment d'informations sur les zones érodées, provenant d'enquêtes sur le terrain, sont disponibles. Les levés bathymétriques ont été fondamentaux pour valider la réponse du modèle à long terme, tandis que les mesures ponctuelles ont été utiles pour vérifier la variabilité spatiale des prévisions du modèle.

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“…Multidisciplinary investigations of the soil agrogenesis influenced by ancient arable agriculture have a very wide geography: Western Europe and particularly the Mediterranean (Ruecker et al, 1998;Sanchez-Maranon et al, 2002;Scalenghe et al, 2002;Delgado et al, 2007;Freppaz et al, 2008;Bellin et al, 2009;Stanchia et al, 2012); Eastern Europe, including its central part (Dolotov, 1984;Karavaeva, 2000;Polyakova and Platonycheva, 2012), the regions of Greco-Roman land use in Southern Ukraine (Lisetskii, 2008;Lisetskii and Rodionova, 2012) and the Crimea (Cordova and Lehman, 2005;Lisetskii et al, 2013) as well as the northern Caucasus (Korobov and Borisov, 2013); Asia Kostyuchenko and Lisitsyna, 1976;Gong et al, 2000;Wilkinson, 2003;Miyaji, 2003;Pietsch and Mabit, 2012); Africa (Mighall et al, 2012;Nyberg et al, 2012) and the New World (Sandor et al, 1990;Dick et al, 1994;Eash and Sandor, 1995;Sandor and Eash, 1995;Harden, 1996;Sandor, 2006;Goodman-Elgar, 2008;Londono, 2008;Homburg and Sandor, 2011;Fonte et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indicators of agricultural soil genesis under varying conditions of land use, Steppe Crimea

2015

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This study investigates the effects of agricultural exploitation of soils of the north-western Crimea, the active and large-scale cultivation of which began with the Greek colonization of the area. In order to compare soils using a wide spectrum of physical and chemical properties, the studied objects (virgin land, post-antique idle land, continually plowed land, modern-day plowed land, idle land of the modern era) have been grouped into a chronosequence. This makes it possible to apply the method of factor sequences of agrogenic transformations in soils, which takes into account different periods of human activities. The other factors involved in soil formation are considered to be relatively invariable. From the mass of physiochemical properties of these soils that have endured long-term agricultural stress, the most informative indicators of agrogenesis have been identified. The authors propose a procedure for calculating an integral agrophysical soil indicator based on five parameters that can be used to determine the soil structure and cloddiness as well as water-stability, the amount of waterstable aggregates and their mean mass-weighted diameter. Based on the estimates of their agrophysical state, the following sequence has been determined for the soils studied: Post-antique idle land b virgin land b idle land of the modern era b continuously plowed land b modern-day plowed land. It has been established that the previous practices of land use favorably affect the agrophysical properties of soils. The loss of organic carbon in continually plowed land is 51%, while in modern-day plowed and idle lands it amounts to 39% and 27-32% respectively. The reproduction of soil organic matter (SOM) and its quality, particularly of its labile content, which is responsible for the agrophysical properties of a plow horizon, is central to soil fertility management for sustainable agriculture. One observed effect of long-term agrogenic stresses in plowed horizons of Chernozems is a decrease in microelements such as Co, Ni, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, as well as phosphorus and potassium. It is estimated that the micronutrient content of plowed land is 5-6% lower than that of virgin soils. Even after 2280 years of renaturation, soils of post-antique idle lands preserve in their pedomemory the signs of agrogenesis. In terms of soil quality, the overall agrogenic transformation of soils cultivated during the recent period (the last 150-165 years) is 15% lower than that of the continually plowed lands. The fallowing regime provides conditions that allow soils to regenerate within a few decades. The use of renaturation effects that mimic the fallowing regime opens up new possibilities for resource-saving sustainable agriculture. This study, therefore, shows the informative potential of soils that have continuously, or with restorative periods, been subjected to long-term agrogenic impacts under different practices of land use. It also considers how this information may be actively employed to comprehend the long-term transformations of the ...

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Abandonment of soil and water conservation structures in Mediterranean ecosystems

Cited by 67 publications

References 16 publications

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

Targeting of intervention areas to reduce reservoir sedimentation in the Tana catchment (Kenya) using SWAT

Indicators of agricultural soil genesis under varying conditions of land use, Steppe Crimea

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