Evaluating the impact of land use/land cover and rainfall changes on regional soil erosion

Climate change (CC), along with changes in land use and land cover (LULC), is among the primary forces driving soil erosion. Deforestation and anthropogenic activities have led to excessive soil erosion in the Ketar watershed. This study aimed to map the consequences of climate and LULC changes on soil erosion using soil loss equation factors integrated with Landsat imagery and geographic information systems. A maximum likelihood classifier was employed to categorize LULC classes, namely agricultural land, bareland, shrubland, forest, grassland, settlement, wetland, and waterbody. Rainfall data were derived from the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) dataset, and rainfall erosivity (R factor) was calculated for 1990-2020. The R factor, linked to rainfall intensity and amount, influences runoff and soil detachment. Cover management (C) and conservation practice (P) factors were derived from LULC and slope. LULC change significantly altered these factors. Results showed that between 2000 and 2020, cultivated land increased by 7.92%, while forest and wetland declined by 4.61%. The findings indicate that very high soil loss of 382.48 t ha-1 yr-1, 368.8 t ha-1 yr-1, and 412 t ha-1 yr-1 occurred in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. These findings support evidence-based watershed management, guiding sustainable land use planning and conservation interventions to protect livelihoods.