Assessment of soil vulnerability to water erosion in the province of Manabí (Ecuador) through the application of a geospatial model

Soil loss due towatererosion is one of the most concerning environmental issues today. Estimating erosion rates requires high-resolution data. However, in Manabi, the limited availability of local precipitation data and the lack of detailed land use records pose significant constraints for an accurate assessment of erosion processes. The primary objective of this research is to estimate erosion rates using the RUSLE model and to examine their relationship with land cover and population density in Manabi in order to assess its vulnerability. The methodology consisted in delineating the study area and obtaining the factors that comprise the RUSLE model from official databases. The delineation of the study area was carried out using national cartography and the factors that make up the RUSLE model from official databases: precipitation data were sourced from GPCC; NDVI from MODIS; topography from SRTM; soil properties from SoilGRIDS; and the P factor was treated as a unit due to the lack of statistical data. Erosion rates ranging from 0.06 to 190.49 t/ha were recorded, with irregular distributions across the province. Sixty-eight percent of Manabi's cantons recorded medium-high and very high risk, which highlights the importance of implementing mitigation measures to address soil erosion. The results of this study provide a solid foundation for government authorities to implement effective soil erosion control measures in Manabi. The methodology applied in this study is adaptable to other regions with similar geographical and climatic conditions, allowing for its replication in different contexts. This is particularly relevant in the context of climate change, where flexibility in adapting local solutions to various global scenarios is crucial for sustainable soil management and erosion mitigation.