Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China

Bibliographic Details
Title: Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
Authors: Xiong Gao, Pingping Yang, Zhongfa Zhou, Jinqi Zhu, Changxin Yang
Source: Land, Vol 13, Iss 11, p 1841 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Agriculture
Subject Terms: Revision of the Generalized Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM), Karst plateau, anthropogenic soil erosion, Bijie City, Agriculture
More Details: The Karst plateau region has a unique natural erosion environment and sharp human–land conflicts. This study selected Bijie City, Northwest Guizhou, as the study area. To quantitatively analyze the human and natural impacts on soil erosion in this area, this paper evaluated the anthropogenic and natural soil erosion based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) coupled with the Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM). The results showed the following: (1) the total soil erosion modulus in the study area showed an increasing trend: 37.86 t/(ha·a) in 2010, 42.12 t/(ha·a) in 2015, and 48.67 t/(ha·a) in 2020; (2) human activities reduced soil erosion, with an anthropogenic soil erosion modulus of −13.79 t/(ha·a) in 2015 and −17.36 t/(ha·a) in 2020, indicating that human activities, such as projects of returning farmland to forests and rocky desertification control, played a key role in decreasing soil erosion in the study area.; and (3) the percentage of the area of soil erosion deterioration dominated by natural factors (AGN) is gradually decreasing, 89.47% in 2015 and 81.85% in 2020; the percentage of the area of soil erosion deterioration dominated by human activities (AGH) is increasing from 6.17% in 2015 to 13.80% in 2020; and the percentage of the area of soil erosion mitigation caused by human activities (ALH) and the area of soil erosion not affected by natural and human activities (NNH) showed no significant change. This result suggests more attention should be paid to the area of AGH to control soil erosion. This study analyzed the roles of natural factors as well as human activities in the Karst plateau, enriched the application scope of the QAM, and provided new ideas for theoretical research in this field.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 13111841
2073-445X
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1841; https://doaj.org/toc/2073-445X
DOI: 10.3390/land13111841
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/a37f0e20016d4b38baff2fdf8fab7dd0
Accession Number: edsdoj.37f0e20016d4b38baff2fdf8fab7dd0
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:13111841
2073445X
DOI:10.3390/land13111841
Published in:Land
Language:English