Estimating the Soil Erosion Response to Land-Use Land-Cover Change Using GIS-Based RUSLE and Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Miyun Reservoir, North China

Soil erosion by water is a major cause of land degradation. Agricultural practices and many other ecological environmental problems contribute to land degradation worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Miyun County, which is located in a mountainous region of North China, is an important natural ecological zone and surface source of drinking water for Beijing and is very vulnerable to soil erosion due to its thin soil layer and human activities. Landsat images from 2003 and 2013 were used to analyze the land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) over this period. The revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to quantify soil loss and to map erosion risk. In addition, the response of soil erosion to LULCC was evaluated. The results showed that the areas under cropland, forest, and water bodies increased over the study period by 66.03, 243.44, and 9.01 km2, respectively. The increase in forested land indicated that the improved ground vegetation cover was due to the implementation of active ecological measures. Between 2003 and 2013, light soil erosion increased by 587.46 km2, and extremely severe soil erosion increased by 9.57 km2. The extents of slight, moderate, severe, and very severe soil erosion, however, decreased by 8.02, 445.21, 142.69, and 1.11 km2, respectively. A total of 57.5% of land with moderate soil erosion has been converted to light soil erosion, which could be highly beneficial for the improvement of vegetation control of soil and water losses. In terms of area, forestland exhibited the greatest increase, while moderate soil erosion exhibited the greatest decrease over the study period. Land-use change led to an alteration in the intensity of soil erosion due to changes or loss of vegetation. The conversion from high intensity soil erosion to low intensity was attributed to the implementation of ecological environmental protection. The results generated from this study may be useful for planners and land-use managers to make appropriate decisions for soil conservation.