Effects of land use and land cover change on soil erosion potential in Berhe district: a case study of Legedadi watershed, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

This research was done in Legedadi watershed since the area was highly susceptible to soil erosion problem that could be aggravated by heavy rainfall, and steep slope. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of LULC change on soil erosion potential in Legedadi watershed, and its implication on sedimentation problems. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery of TM (1985), TM (1997) and ETM+ (2013) were deployed to categorize a LULC map of the study watershed. Soil erosion risk was calculated by using GIS and RUSLE. Digital image processing and classification technique have been done using ERDAS Imagine 9. 2. Results indicate that there was a continuous and active LULC change observed in the watershed for the last 28 years. The settlement area and cultivated land were increased by 14.34% and 18.3%, whereas grazing land and bare land classes were reduced continuously by 25.74% and 18.47% between (1985–2103) respectively. The estimated annual soil losses were 0.0-330 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹in 2013 whereas in 1997 its range was 0-257.1 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹. A mean annual soil loss in the watershed was 54.19 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹ in 1997and 66.21 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹ in 2013, respectively. The average annual soil loss from each sub-watershed ranges from 34.57–89.19 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹. This calls for the coordinated action of the local communities and government in ensuring sustainable natural resource conservation systems considering the Climate Resilient Green Economy strategy of Ethiopia.

KEYWORDS:

• GIS
• Legedadi watershed
• LULC
• RUSLE
• soil erosion risk

Acknowledgment

We extend our gratitude to the local administration and farmers who provided us relevant information on the land use land cover system of Legedadi Watershed. We would like to acknowledge Ethiopian Meteorological Services and Mapping Agency for providing rainfall and satellite data, respectively.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).