Estimating the economic value of the role of vegetation in controlling soil erosion (Case Study: Kechik Watershed)

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

1 master science student of Range Engineering, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources of Gorgan University

2 Member of Faculty of Rangeland Management, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources of Gorgan University

3 Member of Faculty of Watershed Management and Desert Management of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources of gorgan

Abstract

Abstract
Background and Objectives: Preservation of soil and prevention of occurrence and intensification of erosion are the most important functions of natural ecosystems. This issue is especially important in steep and mountainous areas. Soil conservation function, like many other ecosystem services, lacks a market to determine value. Natural ecosystems are one of the important economic resource for many developing countries that contribute to the development of regions and communities by producing goods and services. This study was conducted in 2019 with the aim of investigating the role of natural ecosystem in Kechik area in controlling soil erosion and determining the economic value of soil protection based on soil fertility maintenance function.
Materials and methods: In order to estimate soil erosion quantitatively , the RUSLE model, which inputs include rain erosion factor, soil erodibility factor, length and degree of slope factor, vegetation factor and protective operations factor, was used in GIS environment. To calculate the economic value of soil fertility maintenance function, soil retention and soil nutrient content including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the area were estimated and its economic value was calculated using the alternative cost approach.
Results: The results of soil erosion by RUSLE method showed that the range of soil erosion in the region varied between 0 to 239.2 tons per hectare per year and its average was estimated at 7.94 tons per hectare per year. The value of the main elements preserved in the soil of the whole basin was equal to 9.21 billion Rials per year and the value of each hectare of the region's ecosystem was estimated at 2.55 million Rials per year. Also, the analysis of erosion data in IDRISI Selva software showed that the factor of length and degree of slope with a correlation coefficient of 93% and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.87 had the greatest effect on estimating annual soil erosion.
Conclusion: The result of this study states that the value obtained per hectare of forest is 3.39, rangeland 2.84 and dry land 2.16 million rials per year, which shows the more value of rangeland ecosystem than dry lands. Due to the positive effects of vegetation, the need for special attention to rangeland and forest vegetation to reduce soil erosion is felt and it is recommended that biological and soil protection programs to reduce soil erosion damage in areas with high erosion sensitivity in the region.

Keywords: Economic value, Soil protection, Kechik watershed, RUSLE

Keywords

References

1.Abbasi, M. 2016. Effects of landuse, slope and rainfall intensity onrunoff, sediment and nutrients in loess lands of Kechik watershed, Golestan Province. Ph.D. Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Pp: 118-124.
2.Alvandi, E., Sadoddin, A., and Sheikh, V.B. 2019. Predicting the impacts of management activities on surfacerunoff characteristics and soil erosionin the Bonekooh Watershed – Hablehroud River-Iran. J. Water Soil Cons.26: 1. 27-48. (In Persian)
3.Arkhi, S., and Niyazi, Y. 2010. Investigation of GIS and RS Application for Estimation of Soil Erosion and Sediment Load Using the RUSLE Model (Case Study: Upstream Basin of Ilam Dam). J. Water Soil Cons. 17: 2. 1-27.(In Persian)  
4.Bakhtiari, F., Panahi, M., Karami, M., Ghoddusi, J., Mashayekhi, Z., and Pourzadi, M. 2009. Economic valuation of soil nutrients retention function of Sabzkouh forests. Iran. J. For. 1: 1. 69-81. (In Persian)
5.Baraniyan Kabir, A., Mousavi, S.A., Bashari, H., Mesdaghi, M.R., and Basiri, M. 2016. Economic Consequences of Rangeland Use Change to Dryland from Water and Soil Conservation Functions. Applied Ecology. 6: 2. 27-40. (In Persian)
6.Bishop, J.T. 1999. Valuing Forests, A review of methods and applications in developing countries. Environmental Economics Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 56p.
7.Bostan, Y., Fatahiardakani, A., Fehresti Sani, M., and Sadeghinia, M. 2018. A Pricing Model for Value of Gas Regulation Function of Natural Resources Ecosystems (Case Study: Sheikh Musa Rangeland, Mazandaran Province, Iran). J. Range. Sci. 8: 2. 186-200.
8.Bostan, Y., Fatahi Ardakani, A., Sadeghiniya, M., and Fehresti Sani, M. 2018. Estimating the Economic Value of Soil and Aquatic Regulatory Functions of Rangeland Ecosystems (Case Study: Sheikh Moussa Rangeland Ecosystem of Babol). Range. Sci. J. 12: 4. 464-480.(In Persian)
9.Costanza, R.R., Groot, P., Sutton, S.,van der Ploeg, S., Anderson, I., Kubiszewski, S. Farber and Turner, R. 2014. Changes in the global value of ecosystem services. Global Environmental Change. 26: 152-158.
10.De Groot, R.S., Alkemade, R., Braat, L., Hein, L., and Willemen, L. 2010. Challenges in integrating the concept of ecosystem services and values in landscape planning. management and decision making. Ecol Complex. 7: 260-272.
11.Fatahi Ardakani, A. 2013. The principles of economic valuation of natural resources. Ardakan University Press, 364p. (In Persian)
12.Fatahi, A., Bostan, Y., and Arab,M. 2016. The Comparison of Methods of Discrere Payment Vehicle (Dichotomous Choice) in Improving the Quality of the Environment (a case study of air pollution in Tehran).
Third International Conference on Engineering, Science and Technology. Pp: 1-13.
13.Foster, G., and Wischmeier, W. 1974. Evaluating irregular slopes for soil loss prediction. Transactions of the ASAE. 17: 2, 305p.
14.Ghezelsoflou, A. 2011. Risk and Damage Evaluation of Soil and N, P, K Erosion in Chehel Chai Watershed of Golestan Province. Master thesis. Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
15.Gulati, A., and Rai, S.C. 2014. Cost estimation of soil erosion and nutrient loss from a watershed of the Chotanagpur Plateau, India. J. Curr. Sci. 106: 1-5.
16.Hengl, T. 2006. Finding the rightpixel size. Computers & Geosciences. 32: 9. 1283-1298.
17.Hosseini, S.S., and Ghorbani, M. 2006. Economic of soil erosion. Mashhad University Press, 126p. (In Persian)
18.Jackson, M.L. 1967. Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersy, USA, 521p.
19.Jin, K., Cornelis, W.M., Gabriels, D., Baert, M., Wu, H.J., Schiettecatte,W., Cai, D.X., Deneve, S., Jin, J.Y.,Hartmann, R., and Hofman, G. 2009. Residue cover and rainfall intensity effects on runoff soil organic carbon losses. Catena. 8: 81-86.
20.Kavian, A., Mohammadi, M., Falah, M., Gholami. L., and Omidvar, E. 2016. Application of RUSLE Model to Determine Spatial Distribution of Soil Loss Risk. Ecohydrology. 3: 4. 669-680. (In Persian)
21.Khormai, H., Kiani, F., and Khormali,F. 2016. Evaluation of SoilErodibility Factor (k) for Loess Derived Landforms of Kechik Watershed in Golestan Province. J. Water Soil.30: 6. 2078-2086. (In Persian)
22.Khorsand, M., Khaledi Darvishan, A. and Gholamali Fard, M. 2016. Comparison of the RUSLE Model Annual Loss Estimation Results with Data from Nails and Erosion Plots in Khamsan Watershed. Ecohydrology.3: 4. 669-680. (In Persian)
23.King, N.A. 2007. Economic valuation of environmental goods and services in the context of good ecosystem governance. Water Policy 9. 2: 51.67.
24.Kumar, T. 2010. Physically-based spatially distributed rainfall runoff modeling for soil erosion estimation PhD Thesis. Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, university of Stuttgart, Stuttgart.  
25.Lin, C.Y. 1997. A study on the width and placement of vegetated buffer strips in a mudstonedistributed watershed.J. China Soil Water Cons. 3: 250-266.
26.Mahdavi, M. 2009. Applied hydrology. Tehran University Press, 342p. (In Persian)
27.Mobarghei, N., and Sharzei, Gh. 2007. Analysis of survey base methods in ecosystem services valuation and introduce more appropriate methodsto achieve reliable result especially
in developing countries. International conference of “Re-inventing Sustainability: A Climate for Change” 3rd- 6th July, Noosaville, Australia.Pp: 13-15.
28.Mohamed Fayas, C., and Shantha Abeysingha, N. 2019. Soil loss estimation using rusle model toprioritize erosioncontrol in KELANI riverbasinin SriLanka. International Soil and Water Conservation Research. 7: 19. 130-137.
29.Mohammdi, Sh., Karimzadeh, H., Pourmanafi, S., and Soltani Koubae, S. 2018. Spatial and temporal estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE model and Landsat satellite time series (Case study: Mandarjan, Isfahan). Iran. J. Natur. Resour. 71: 3. 759-774.
30.Moore, I.D., and Burch, G.J. 1986. Physical basis of the length-slope factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 50: 5. 1294-1298.
31.Mousavi, S.A., Arzani, H., Sharzei, Gh., Azarnivand, H., Farahpoor, M., Estefani, A., Alizadeh, E., and Nazari Samani, A. 2011. Economic valuation of rangeland coverage on soil conservation (case study: Middle Taleghan watershed). J. Iran Natur. Resour.67: 2. 317-331. (In Persian)
32.Nezhadafzali, K., Shahrokhi, M., and Bayatani, F. 2018. Assessment soil erosion using RUSLE model and identification the most effective factor in Dekhan watershed basin of southern Kerman. J. Natur. Environ. Hazard.8: 20. 21-38. (In Persian)
33.Niknahad Gharmakher, H., and Maramaei, M. 2011. Effects of land use changes on soil properties (Case Study: the Kechik catchment). J. Soil Manage. Sust. Prod. 1: 2. 81-96. (In Persian)
34.Pajouhesh, M., Kaviani, A., Givi, J., and Davoudian Dehkordi, A.R. 2017. Estimating of the amount of soil loss using universal soil loss equation in the Jonghan watershed. J. Water Soil Cons. 24: 3. 299-306. (In Persian)
35.Refahi, H. 2000. Soil erosion by water & conservation. Tehran University Press, 551p. (In Persian)
36.Renard, K.G., and Freimund, J.R. 1994. Using monthly precipitation data to estimate the R-factor in the revised USLE. J. Hydrol. 157: 287-306.
37.Salim Fargi, F. 2011. Assessing spatial distribution of soil erosion hazard using distributed USLE model in Kechik Watershed, Golestan, Iran. Master thesis. Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
38.Shirazi, M.A., and Boersma, L. 1984.A unifying quantitative analysis ofsoil texture. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J.48: 142-147.
39.Sun, J., Liu, Y., Zhou, T., Liu, G., and Wang, J. 2018. Soil conservation service on the Tibetan Plateau.1984–2013. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.1: 7. 1-7.
40.Tucker, C.J. 1979. Red and photographic infrared linear combinations for monitoring vegetation. Remote Sensing of Environment.8: 127-150.
41.Wischmeier, W.H., and Smith, D.D. 1978. Predicting rainfall erosion losses A guide to conservation planning.  
42.Yeganeh, H., Azarnivand, H., Saleh, I., Arzani, H., and Amirnejad, H. 2016. Estimating the economic value of soil conservation function (Case study: Taham watershed, Zanjan province). Iran. J. Range Des. Res. 23: 1. 161-176. (In Persian)
43.Zabihi, M., Sadeghi, S.H.R., and Vafakhah, M. 2015. Spatial analysisof rainfall erosivity index patternsat different time scales in Iran. Watershed Engineering and Management. 7: 4. 442-457.
44.Zerihun, M., Mohammedyasin, M., Demeke Sewnet, A., and Lakew, M. 2018. Assessment of soil erosion using RUSLE, GIS and remote sensing in NW Ethiopia. Geoderma Regional. 8: 17.
Journal of Water and Soil Conservation
Volume 27, Issue 6
March and April 2021
Pages 137-152

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics