Abstract

DELGADO, María I. Soil loss as a result of the interactions between natural landscape attributes and human activities in Ventania, Argentina. Ecol. austral [online]. 2018, vol.28, n.1, pp.74-80. ISSN 1667-782X.

The Ventania System is a hilly area emerging in the extended Pampas plains of Argentina. Shallow soils with rock fragments and steep slopes are the main limitations for agriculture in this area. The effect of land use changes on annual soil loss on these soils in the Belisario Creek watershed was estimated. The universal soil loss equation (USLE) was applied for 1966 and 2016 to estimate soil loss generated by water erosion at the watershed scale. The equation was fed with rainfall, soil, slope, land use and management local data. Critical areas were identified using a geographic information system. The watershed has increased its fragility. For instance, the ranges of high and very high risk of soil loss (>50 Mg.ha^-1.y^-1.) increased their coverage from 18% (1966) to 44% (2016). This increment was caused by land use transformations. This shows the urgent need to establish sustainable management strategies, especially considering livestock and demographic expansion. Similar methodological approaches might also be applied to analyse nearby watersheds, aiming to identify priority areas for designing future management strategies.

Keywords : Land use change; Erosion; Territorial management.

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