Soil erosion assessment using RUSLE model in the Congo Nile Ridge region of Rwanda |
| |
| Authors: | Enan M Nyesheja Attia M El-Tantawi Fidele Karamage Christophe Mupenzi Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva |
| |
| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;3. Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK), Kigali, Rwanda;4. Joint Research Center for Natural Resources and Environment in East Africa, Kigali, Rwanda;5. Geography Department, Institute of African Research and Studies-Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt;6. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;7. Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China;8. Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees (MIDIMAR), Kigali, Rwanda |
| |
| Abstract: | This research assessed the soil erosion threat in the Congo Nile Ridge Region of Rwanda. The study forecasted erosion by applying the Revised Universal Soil Erosion (RUSLE) with five factors (rainfall, soil, topography, cover management, and support practices) and spatial data. About 85.5% of the area under investigation was predisposed to erosion with unsustainable average soil loss rates of > 1 t/ha/yr. The outcomes of the research highlighted that the average rate of estimated soil loss in the region prone to erosion was > 63.62 t/ha/yr, resulting in an overall annual predicted soil loss of approximately 44 × 106 t in 2016. All of the districts studied have steep slope gradients (30.4%–36.1%) and high annual rainfall totals (1199–1484 mm/yr), except Rubavu district. More than 88.8% of croplands had unsustainable average soil loss rates of > 1 t/ha/yr. The analysis indicated that both terracing and strip cropping have the potential to reduce rates of soil loss in the farmland, by 64.4% and 10.4%, respectively. The results of this study will serve as a baseline for soil erosion mitigation and land-use planning in the study area and Rwanda at large. |
| |
| Keywords: | Congo Nile Ridge RUSLE land use/cover soil erosion remote sensing |
|
|
