The Effects of Nature-Based Solutions on Soil Erosion Mitigation in the Tropical Andes
(2020) AGU FALL MEETING — Location: Online, everywhere (1.December.2020)
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- Abstract
- In the Andes region, soil erosion is a major problem, affecting natural and managed environments through its impacts on water quality and availability, loss of soil nutrients, flood risk, sedimentation in rivers and streams, and damage to infrastructure. Sustainable land and water management aiming to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation can provide multiple benefits for the environment, population and livelihoods. Natural infrastructure, including forests, wetlands, and nature-based solutions can contribute to enhance the availability and quality of water for human consumption, agriculture, power production, and other land use-related ecosystem services. Here, we present a meta-analysis of published studies involving > 100 case-studies from the Andes. In the analyses, we included studies quantifying the effect of one or more elements of natural infrastructure on soil erosion mitigation. Three categories of natural infrastructure were considered: protective vegetation, soil and water conservation measures, and measures that regulate flow and transport of water. The analysis was designed to answer the following questions: (1) How do elements of natural infrastructure compare in terms of relative potential to mitigate soil erosion? (2) To what extent is the effectiveness of natural infrastructure elements dependent on ecosystem characteristics? Local case-studies were classified according to their spatial scale of analysis, experimental design, timespan of measurement, and methodological approach. Studies were spread across seven Andean countries: 1/3 of them were located in Peru, 1/3 in Ecuador, and the remaining part in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Most studies were conducted at plot (34%) or small catchment scale (30%), followed by landscape analyses (27%) and studies at large catchment scale (9%). The meta-analysis shows that the effectiveness of protective vegetation on soil erosion mitigation is most commonly studied, representing more than half of local case-studies. Furthermore, we identified a series of physical, chemical and biological indicators from datasets given in the case-studies that allowed us to measure the effectiveness of natural infrastructure to mitigate laminar and rill erosion, gully erosion and sedimentation in lakes and reservoirs.
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KULeuven
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Molina Verdugo, A. (2020). The Effects of Nature-Based Solutions on Soil Erosion Mitigation in the Tropical Andes. AGU FALL MEETING, Online, everywhere. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/109017