Assessing the impact of land use change on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China from the end of the 1980s to 2010

Abstract

Using combined information from a land use and land cover change database and a soil erosion dynamic database from the end of the 1980s to 2010, we analyzed the temporal and spatial patterns of soil erosion on the Loess Plateau in China. We also analyzed the influence of changes of land use and land cover on soil erosion. The results show that (1) grassland change had the greatest effect on soil erosion in the Loess Plateau, followed by farmland change and unused land change; (2) the soil erosion situation in the Loess Plateau deteriorated from the end of the 1980s to 2000 and then improved from 2000 to 2010 due to the implementation of the Chinese Grain to Green Project; and (3) soil erosion in all regions of the Loess Plateau increased prior to 2000 and decreased after that, except in the desert and agricultural regions.