Effectiveness of soil and water conservation treatments on soil and catchment restoration
(2016)
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- Authors
- Supervisors
- Vanacker, Veerle
- Abstract
- Soil erosion is a serious threat to the long-term viability of mountain agriculture on steep slopes in the Tropical Andes, and its impact on agricultural production is expected to increase in the 21st century with potential impacts on the socio-economic development of rural areas. Soil erosion by water is one of the dominant soil degradation processes, and leads to the development of extensive rill and gully networks and formation of so-called badlands. Vegetation restoration and regeneration is gaining momentum across the world, also in the Tropical Andes. This dissertation aims to enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of soil and water conservation treatments on soil chemical and physical properties, sediment production and transfer to the fluvial system. The analyses are based on a five-year monitoring campaign that provided key information on changes in soil properties, soil erosion, water and sediment fluxes at very high temporal resolution. Five micro-catchments were equipped as pilot sites: two pilot sites are untreated (control) sites; while conservation measures are implemented in the three remaining sites. The experimental data show that bioengineering techniques are effective to reduce soil erosion and stabilize active gullies. Non-native eucalyptus trees enhance soil restoration in highly degraded sites, and play an important role in erosion control and sediment yield reduction. Vegetation restoration is shown to increase the soil carbon content, and enhances incipient soil development in highly degraded land. Restoration schemes have a measurable impact on the hydrological response of the micro-catchments, with a 50% reduction in peak flow.
- Affiliations
Citations
Borja Ramon, P. M. (2016). Effectiveness of soil and water conservation treatments on soil and catchment restoration. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/178624