Mitigating soil erosion in arid landscapes: Integrating RUSLE and geospatial analysis for sustainable land management

Abstract

Soil erosion, induced by water, wind, and human factors, poses a significant threat to sustainable land management and agricultural productivity. Land degradation, sudden meteorological changes, and the intensive use of unsustainable practices add to this problem in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The study attempts to analyze the annual soil erosion dynamics in an area of 751 km² in the Vidore Hill Torrent (VHT) catchment as a function of climatic, topographic, soil, and land cover data computed from high-resolution (0.5 m) satellite imagery. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was applied to estimate annual soil erosion, integrating six key factors. The Spatial and temporal dynamics of soil erosion were assessed by mapping and classifying it into five categories: Very Low (<1 ton/ha/year) to Extreme (>50 ton/ha/year), using a cross-tabular change matrix approach. The results show soil loss of 12,931 tons/ha/year on average, sediment volume of 102.50 ha m, with the most significant erosion rates near steep slopes and drainage channels. The outcomes of this study demonstrate the necessity of sustainable land management (e.g., terracing, afforestation, and rainwater harvesting) to retard erosion. Hydrological modelling and real-time monitoring should be further researched to design adaptive erosion control strategies.