The geomorphic impact of afforestations on soil erosion in Southeast Spain

Díaz, Arturo; Serrato, Francisco Belmonte; Ruíz-Sinoga, José Damián

doi:10.1002/ldr.946

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…increased bank erosion and channel incision) than those observed following construction of check‐dams (Castillo et al ., ; Boix‐Fayos et al ., ). The fact that in many cases check‐dams collect sediments removed by invasive reforestation techniques implies that a lower number of check‐dams could be necessary if reforestations were carried out with non‐invasive techniques (Romero‐Diaz et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Under unfavorable conditions, land abandonment can lead to a sharp increase of gully development, affecting the stability of agricultural terraces (Douglas et al ., ; Ruecker et al ., ; Lesschen et al ., ; Romero‐Diaz et al ., ). As a consequence, success of reforestation programs is often hampered in arid and semiarid environments (Xiang‐zhou et al ., ; Romero‐Diaz et al ., ; Cortina et al ., ). In these environments, despite the evident difficulties involved, check‐dams are often regarded as the best solution to reduce sediment loads to rivers (Zhao et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Forest Restoration and Check‐Dams to Reduce Catchment Sediment Yield

et al. 2014

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Reforestations and check-dams are two commonly used measures to reduce soil erosion rates and sediment export from highly eroding catchments. Here, we evaluated the impact of the construction of 94 check-dams and land use changes (caused by agricultural abandonment and reforestations) on sediment yield in the Upper Taibilla catchment (320 km 2 , SE Spain) from 1956 to 2000. We combined land use change analysis, field surveys, and application of the WaTEM-SEDEM erosion and sediment yield prediction model for nine scenarios combining land use maps (1956, 1987, and 2000) and different numbers of check-dams throughout the catchment. Land use changes alone reduced sediment yield up to 14%, but in combination with check-dams, the reduction in sediment yield reached 44 ± 6%. Sediment yield reduction was higher in smaller sub-catchments, with, on average, a higher transport capacity than larger catchments, illustrating the scale dependency of human impacts on sediment fluxes and the buffer capacity of larger catchments. From an economical perspective, the construction of check-dams was estimated to be more expensive than reforestation programs in the studied catchment, while adding more check-dams did not always result in a proportional reduction of sediment yield. This indicates that optimizing check-dam distribution relative to land use patterns is crucial to decrease catchment sediment yield. Check-dams have a large and instantaneous impact on sediment yield over a restricted time period, while reforestations have important sustained effects at a lower economic cost. These contrasting effects require a careful evaluation for optimal effective catchment management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Forest Restoration and Check‐Dams to Reduce Catchment Sediment Yield

et al. 2014

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“…There is also a long history of European and national subsidies designed to promote certain land use changes or land management practices to prevent soil erosion and maintain water resources and fertile soils. While the effects of different conservation measures is widely studied in experimental plots, only a very few studies have evaluated the biophysical and socioeconomic implications and effectiveness of such conservation measures at catchment or regional scale (Boix-Fayos et al, 2007b;Romero Díaz et al, 2010). Given its importance for sustained food production and controlling on-site and offsite damage from erosion, these issues require more attention in future studies.…”

Section: Identification Of Major Needs For Researchmentioning

confidence: 96%

A review of runoff generation and soil erosion across scales in semiarid south-eastern Spain

Cantón

Solé‐Benet

Vente

et al. 2011

Journal of Arid Environments

242

118

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a b s t r a c tClimate, lithology, soil and especially, intense land use/cover changes, make SE Spain very vulnerable to runoff generation and water erosion leading to loss of nutrients and organic matter and to infrequent but devastating floods, reservoir siltation and mass failures. This susceptibility has led to heavy economic investment and research efforts since the 1980s, making this region a worldwide reference for understanding the hydrology and geomorphology of semiarid ecosystems. Runoff and soil erosion have been intensively studied throughout the last decades in various natural ecosystems as well as in abandoned farmlands. Research has considered a wide range of methods and spatial and temporal scales. This paper reviews the methods and data describing runoff generation and water erosion, synthesising the key processes involved, rates, thresholds and controlling factors from a scaledependent perspective. It also identifies the major gaps in current knowledge to provide recommendations for further research towards solutions that reduce the negative impacts of erosion. Research in SE Spain has contributed significantly to a better understanding of the effect of spatial and temporal scale on runoff and sediment yield measurements, and highlighted the important role of distinct erosion and sediment transport processes, hydrologic connectivity, spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall, the occurrence of extreme events and the impacts of land use changes. The most effective ways and challenges to predict runoff, soil erosion and sediment yield at the catchment scale are also discussed.

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“…At the scales considered, soil erosion generally declined after abandonment, as well as the connectivity between sediment sources and channels, with reduced sediment delivery (Hooke, 2006;Lana-Renault and Regüés, 2009;García-Ruiz et al, 2010;Quiñonero-Rubio et al, 2013) and sedimentation in reservoirs (Navas et al, 2011). An exception was some areas of pine reforestation on bulldozed terraces in marly semi-arid areas of south-east Spain, where soil loss increased by 1-2 orders of magnitude (Romero-Díaz et al, 2010).…”

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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The geomorphic impact of afforestations on soil erosion in Southeast Spain

Cited by 31 publications

References 11 publications

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Forest Restoration and Check‐Dams to Reduce Catchment Sediment Yield

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Forest Restoration and Check‐Dams to Reduce Catchment Sediment Yield

A review of runoff generation and soil erosion across scales in semiarid south-eastern Spain

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

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