Impacts of Land Cover and Greenness Change on Soil Loss and Erosion Risk in Damota Area Districts, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Soil erosion is a key problem in Ethiopia in view of tropical climate, lack of vegetation, and landscape relief. Therefore, soil and water conservation (SWC) measures have been practiced, but their impacts on soil loss have not been estimated adequately. The RUSLE modeling was applied using satellite imageries, ASTER GDEM, rainfall, and soil data to estimate total annual soil loss for a 100 km2 hilly and highly populated area in Ethiopia. Soil loss decreased in the Damota districts from 21 to 13 million tons from 2000 to 2020. Similarly, the average annual soil loss decreased by 36%. Very slight-risk areas (< 5 t ha−1 yr−1) increased from 42.66 to 53.72%, and very high-risk areas (> 50 t ha−1 yr−1) decreased from 12 to 5%. Soil and water conservation measures showed an important implication against soil erosion through improved land cover and landscape greenness. However, still, the rate of soil erosion is high compared to the soil loss tolerance of 1–6 t ha−1 yr−1 for the Ethiopian highlands.

Modeling Soil Loss and Its Association to Site Physical Characteristics in Majang Watershed, Baro Abobo River Basin

“…Nevertheless, the current results of the study are greater than the tolerable level of soil loss studied for the highlands of Ethiopia (2-18 t ha −1 year −1 across diferent elevation and rainfall regimes) [42]. Te current estimate (30.6 t ha −1 year −1 ) nearly agrees with the fndings stated in various regions of the country [22,25,[57][58][59]. However, it showed a lower rate of erosion than some previous studies in diferent parts of the country mainly in the northwestern highlands [2,23,54,[60][61][62].…”

Review of Soil Loss Estimation in Ethiopia: Evaluating the Use of the RUSLE Model integrated with GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques

“…According to different studies (Abebaw et the annual soil loss rate. RUSLE provided a helpful framework for quantifying soil loss and prioritizing areas requiring intervention [3], [14], [19], [38], [39]. Over the years, researchers and institutions in Ethiopia continued to refine and customize the RUSLE model to suit local conditions.…”

“…The application of RUSLE in Ethiopia has played a vital role in generating awareness about soil erosion, guiding land management decisions, and implementing soil erosion control measures [7], [9], [41]. It has contributed to developing soil and water protection strategies, such as terracing, agroforestry, and improved farming practices, to moderate the impact of erosion and preserve soil fertility [26], [38]. Today, RUSLE and its modified versions are commonly used by researchers, government agencies, and NGOs in Ethiopia for soil erosion assessment, land use planning, and the development of sustainable land management practices.…”