Characteristics and driving factors of spatiotemporal changes in soil erosion in the karst plateau mountainous region over 20 years

PLoS One. 2024 Nov 21;19(11):e0314266. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314266. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Soil erosion is one of the main issues that endangers global ecosystems. This study explored the spatiotemporal distribution of soil erosion and its drivers in the karst plateau mountainous region. A detailed examination of topography, soil, vegetation, land use, and precipitation data from 2000 to 2020 was conducted in Bijie City using the revised universal soil loss equation model. We also explored the driving forces using a geographical detector. The findings show that between 2000 and 2020, soil erosion first decreased, followed by an increase. The southwest, south, and northern regions contained the highest intensity of soil erosion. Land use, slope, and precipitation are the primary factors influencing soil erosion, with slopes having the greatest impact. By improving our understanding of the dynamics of soil erosion and the primary variables that influence it in karst plateau mountainous environments, our findings can assist in the development of strategies and technical support for sustainable soil and water conservation.

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Ecosystem
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Soil Erosion*
  • Soil* / chemistry
  • Spatio-Temporal Analysis

Substances

  • Soil

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Guizhou Provincial Key Technology R&D Program (No. [2023]222 and No. [2023]226) and the Higher Education Institution Scientific Research Project of Guizhou Province Education Department (Qianjiaoji[2022]255). The funders were involved in research design, data collection and analysis, and decisions about publication.