IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i23p10421-d1531726.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Soil Erosion in Dondor Watershed, Blue Nile Basin, Northwestern Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Liyew Birhanu

    (Department of Biology, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos P.O. Box 269, Ethiopia
    School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Institute for Environmental Futures, University of Leicester, Space Park Leicester, 92 Corporation Road, Leicester LE4 5SP, UK)

  • Yared Mekonen

    (Department of Biology, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos P.O. Box 269, Ethiopia)

  • Abineh Tilahun

    (Department of Geography, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos P.O. Box 269, Ethiopia)

  • Nigussie Amsalu

    (Department of Biology, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos P.O. Box 269, Ethiopia)

  • Heiko Balzter

    (School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Institute for Environmental Futures, University of Leicester, Space Park Leicester, 92 Corporation Road, Leicester LE4 5SP, UK
    National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Leicester, Space Park Leicester, 92 Corporation Road, Leicester LE4 5SP, UK)

Abstract

Understanding how land use and land cover (LULC) changes affect soil erosion is essential for effective management of watershed areas. This study used Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model to analyze the impact of LULC changes on soil erosion in the Dondor Watershed. Remote sensing data, including Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellite images, alongside field surveys, topographic data, rainfall, and soil data were used. The results showed agricultural land as the primary LULC type, increasing from 43.49% in 2002 to 59.10% in 2023. Forest and built-up areas also expanded, while grassland decreased. Soil erosion estimates revealed that more than 85% of the watershed experienced very slight erosion though the average annual soil loss increased from 4.98 t ha⁻ 1 year⁻ 1 in 2002 to 7.96 t ha⁻ 1 year⁻ 1 in 2023. Agriculture and built-up areas were identified as the primary contributors to erosion. This study underscores the importance of monitoring LULC dynamics for responsible land management and conservation efforts in the watershed.

Suggested Citation

  • Liyew Birhanu & Yared Mekonen & Abineh Tilahun & Nigussie Amsalu & Heiko Balzter, 2024. "Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Soil Erosion in Dondor Watershed, Blue Nile Basin, Northwestern Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10421-:d:1531726
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10421/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10421/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10421-:d:1531726. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.