Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China

The Karst plateau region has a unique natural erosion environment and sharp human–land conflicts. This study selected Bijie City, Northwest Guizhou, as the study area. To quantitatively analyze the human and natural impacts on soil erosion in this area, this paper evaluated the anthropogenic and nat...

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Main Authors: Xiong Gao, Pingping Yang, Zhongfa Zhou, Jinqi Zhu, Changxin Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Land
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1841
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author Xiong Gao
Pingping Yang
Zhongfa Zhou
Jinqi Zhu
Changxin Yang
author_facet Xiong Gao
Pingping Yang
Zhongfa Zhou
Jinqi Zhu
Changxin Yang
author_sort Xiong Gao
collection DOAJ
description The Karst plateau region has a unique natural erosion environment and sharp human–land conflicts. This study selected Bijie City, Northwest Guizhou, as the study area. To quantitatively analyze the human and natural impacts on soil erosion in this area, this paper evaluated the anthropogenic and natural soil erosion based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) coupled with the Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM). The results showed the following: (1) the total soil erosion modulus in the study area showed an increasing trend: 37.86 t/(ha·a) in 2010, 42.12 t/(ha·a) in 2015, and 48.67 t/(ha·a) in 2020; (2) human activities reduced soil erosion, with an anthropogenic soil erosion modulus of −13.79 t/(ha·a) in 2015 and −17.36 t/(ha·a) in 2020, indicating that human activities, such as projects of returning farmland to forests and rocky desertification control, played a key role in decreasing soil erosion in the study area.; and (3) the percentage of the area of soil erosion deterioration dominated by natural factors (AGN) is gradually decreasing, 89.47% in 2015 and 81.85% in 2020; the percentage of the area of soil erosion deterioration dominated by human activities (AGH) is increasing from 6.17% in 2015 to 13.80% in 2020; and the percentage of the area of soil erosion mitigation caused by human activities (ALH) and the area of soil erosion not affected by natural and human activities (NNH) showed no significant change. This result suggests more attention should be paid to the area of AGH to control soil erosion. This study analyzed the roles of natural factors as well as human activities in the Karst plateau, enriched the application scope of the QAM, and provided new ideas for theoretical research in this field.
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spelling doaj-art-a37f0e20016d4b38baff2fdf8fab7dd02025-08-20T01:54:02ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2024-11-011311184110.3390/land13111841Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, ChinaXiong Gao0Pingping Yang1Zhongfa Zhou2Jinqi Zhu3Changxin Yang4School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaEngineering Research Center of Watershed Carbon Neutralization, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Institute of Ecological Civilization, School of Resources and Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaThe Karst plateau region has a unique natural erosion environment and sharp human–land conflicts. This study selected Bijie City, Northwest Guizhou, as the study area. To quantitatively analyze the human and natural impacts on soil erosion in this area, this paper evaluated the anthropogenic and natural soil erosion based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) coupled with the Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM). The results showed the following: (1) the total soil erosion modulus in the study area showed an increasing trend: 37.86 t/(ha·a) in 2010, 42.12 t/(ha·a) in 2015, and 48.67 t/(ha·a) in 2020; (2) human activities reduced soil erosion, with an anthropogenic soil erosion modulus of −13.79 t/(ha·a) in 2015 and −17.36 t/(ha·a) in 2020, indicating that human activities, such as projects of returning farmland to forests and rocky desertification control, played a key role in decreasing soil erosion in the study area.; and (3) the percentage of the area of soil erosion deterioration dominated by natural factors (AGN) is gradually decreasing, 89.47% in 2015 and 81.85% in 2020; the percentage of the area of soil erosion deterioration dominated by human activities (AGH) is increasing from 6.17% in 2015 to 13.80% in 2020; and the percentage of the area of soil erosion mitigation caused by human activities (ALH) and the area of soil erosion not affected by natural and human activities (NNH) showed no significant change. This result suggests more attention should be paid to the area of AGH to control soil erosion. This study analyzed the roles of natural factors as well as human activities in the Karst plateau, enriched the application scope of the QAM, and provided new ideas for theoretical research in this field.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1841Revision of the Generalized Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM)Karst plateauanthropogenic soil erosionBijie City
spellingShingle Xiong Gao
Pingping Yang
Zhongfa Zhou
Jinqi Zhu
Changxin Yang
Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
Land
Revision of the Generalized Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)
Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM)
Karst plateau
anthropogenic soil erosion
Bijie City
title Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
title_full Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
title_fullStr Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
title_full_unstemmed Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
title_short Human and Natural Activities Effects on Soil Erosion in Karst Plateau Based on QAM Model: A Case Study of Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China
title_sort human and natural activities effects on soil erosion in karst plateau based on qam model a case study of bijie city guizhou province china
topic Revision of the Generalized Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)
Quantitative Analytical Model (QAM)
Karst plateau
anthropogenic soil erosion
Bijie City
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1841
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