Badlands forest restoration in Central Spain after 50 years under a Mediterranean-continental climate

Manso, Jorge Mongil; Hevia, Joaquín Navarro; Díaz-Gutiérrez, Virginia; Cruz‐Alonso, Verónica; Ramos-Diez, Iván

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.10.020

Cited by 28 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nevertheless, check dams have been considered for a long time as one of the most important techniques for soil and water conservation (Xu et al ., ) and soil generation (Navarro et al ., ; Díaz, ; Mongil‐Manso et al, ). Wang et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Knowing how much sediment check dams have trapped during their lifespan is essential to estimate their effectiveness or the sediment yields of their basins. Methods to calculate the volume of sediment trapped by check dams play an important role in the understanding of these issues. Several authors have proposed different methods to measure the volume of retained sediment, but their accuracy has, as yet, not been precisely determined and is currently a subject of debate. We compare the most frequently used methods (geometric: prism, pyramid and geometric; topographic: Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), trapezoids and sections methods) to evaluate their accuracy and precision in determining the volume of sediment retained by check dams. Our calculations are based on ten virtual check dams simulated in several gullies of Saldaña (Spain), where we determine their volumetric capacity for trapping sediment (real volume). This was made by means of an intensive topographic survey of these gullies, employing a terrestrial laser scanning system to obtain a high‐resolution digital elevation model (5 × 5 cm, ±2 mm). The results showed that topographic methods provided a very good fit to real volume with a difference of around 8%, being the sections method the most accurate. Geometric methods were less accurate, showing differences of up to 28%. Thus, the results obtained until now by geometric methods should be considered with caution. Although topographic methods were more accurate, they require many field data and much time than the others. So geometric methods can still be useful by correcting their results using our obtained percentage of variation. Knowing the accuracy of the methods before measuring is essential to obtain the most reliable results to analyse the role of check dams in controlling sediment, erosion processes and land degradation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Climate change has caused significant changes in rainfall and rainfall intensity and frequency. These changes have a significant impact on soil erosion, runoff production, and soil and water conservation (Mongil‐Manso et al, ; Mullan, Favis‐mortlock, & Fealy, ; D. Wang & Hejazi, ). On a small scale, the impact of global climate change on soil erosion is mainly achieved through, inter alia, soil particles and soil aggregates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, cascade check‐dams can elevate the gully bed and may reduce flow velocity, sediment transportation capacity, and so forth. However, planted vegetation in such arid and semiarid areas has high water demand; the vegetation intercepts rainfall and likely causes reductions in soil moisture (Mongil‐Manso et al, ). Thus, maintaining a sustainable vegetated ecosystem to achieve the objective of solving the problem of severe soil erosion and maintaining ecosystem security on the Loess Plateau are important challenges (Fu et al, ; S. Wang et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Effects Of Afforestation On Sediment Trappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the Chinese Loess Plateau has experienced serious soil erosion in recent decades, the central government has carried out a variety of erosion control measures in the region (Feng et al, ), including converting croplands on steep slopes to forests, grasslands, and terraces and building check‐dams in gullies (Gao, Kang, Xu, Jiang, & Yang, ). Afforestation and check‐dam construction are two basic techniques for controlling erosion and sediment emission for soil conservation (Díaz, Mongil, & Navarro, ; Mongil‐Manso, Navarro‐Hevia, Díaz‐Gutiérrez, Cruz‐Alonso, & Ramos‐Díez, ; Navarro, De Araújo, & Mongil, ). The effectiveness of sediment trapping depends on the synergistic management of these measures, which have been in operation for several decades, and the effectiveness of afforestation on the hillslopes has been extensively evaluated (Mount et al, ; Verstraeten & Prosser, ; Li, Yao, Ding, Yang, & Chen, ; Feng et al, ; Quiñonero‐Rubio, Nadeu, Boix‐Fayos, & Vente, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The synergistic effects of afforestation and the construction of check‐dams on sediment trapping: Four decades of evolution on the Loess Plateau, China

Liu

Feng

et al. 2019

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil erosion represents a major environmental threat to ecosystems. Effective sediment trapping relies on the cooperation of multiple soil erosion control measures. However, findings on the synergistic effects of multiple soil erosion control measures are still lacking, in particular on a large spatial scale. This study provides a first attempt to analyze four decades of data from the 1980s to the 2010s on the Loess Plateau. The analysis combines the spatial investigation of check‐dam construction in gullies, afforestation on hillslopes, and station‐observed sediment yield within the evaluation framework of the Water and Tillage Erosion Model/Sediment Delivery Model. The results indicate two periods of effective sediment trapping on the Loess Plateau in the last four decades: 1980s–1990s and 2000s–2010s. Check‐dam construction was the main driver of reduced sediment yields before the 1990s. Massive afforestation played an increasingly important role beginning in 1999. The synergistic effects of afforestation and the construction of check‐dams in the period from the 2000s to the 2015 include not only the effective trapping of sediment but also the improvements in the resistance of ecosystems to climate change. These results improve our understanding of the synergistic effects of multiple soil erosion control measures on sediment trapping. The findings support a rational collocation of different soil erosion control measures to support comprehensive management in erosion‐prone regions.

show abstract

A review of the magnitude and response times for sediment yield reductions following the rehabilitation of gullied landscapes

Bartley

Poesen

Wilkinson

et al. 2020

Earth Surf Processes Landf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gully erosion is a major driver of elevated sediment yields across many areas of the globe, and considerable rehabilitation has occurred to reduce the amount of sediment eroded from gullies. However, compared to other forms of erosion, there has been little systematic review of the effectiveness of gully rehabilitation on reducing sediment yields. This study reviewed the global literature to provide an understanding of the potential sediment yield reductions that can occur following the rehabilitation of gullied landscapes. We focused on studies reporting a measured response on how gully and catchment sediment yield has changed since treatment. A total of 37 studies were found that met this criterion. The studies were partitioned into three broad categories, including those focused on: (i) treating the catchment above the gully; (ii) installing treatments in the actual gully channel; and (iii) a combination of approaches which include treating both the catchment and the gully channel. All the studies demonstrated a reduction in sediment yield following gully rehabilitation, with reported values ranging between 12 and 94%. The timeframes associated with the reductions in sediment yield varied considerably (2-80years). Applying a variety of rehabilitation measures, which generally includes treating both the hillslope above the gully, and trapping sediment within the gully, appears to result in shorter (median) timescales for sediment yield reduction. Overall, this review indicates that gully rehabilitation strategies combining both engineering and vegetation measures are often the most successful. Engineering measures such as check dams are important for stabilizing sites in the early phases to support the revegetation of gullies and adjacent hillslopes. However, vegetation is the key to the long-term success of gully rehabilitation. This is because many engineering structures eventually fail, or they have a limited life span as an active sediment trap.

show abstract

Badlands forest restoration in Central Spain after 50 years under a Mediterranean-continental climate

Cited by 28 publications

References 47 publications

Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

The synergistic effects of afforestation and the construction of check‐dams on sediment trapping: Four decades of evolution on the Loess Plateau, China

A review of the magnitude and response times for sediment yield reductions following the rehabilitation of gullied landscapes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About