Agroecology-based soil erosion assessment for better conservation planning in Ethiopian river basins

Soil erosion by water is one of the main environmental concerns in Ethiopia. Several studies have examined this at plot and watershed scales, but no systematic study of soil erosion severity and management solutions at national scale is available. This study investigated soil erosion and the potential of land-cover- and agroecology-specific land management practices in reducing soil loss through employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and the best available datasets. The mean rate of soil loss by water erosion in Ethiopia was estimated as 16.5 t ha−1 yr−1, with an annual gross soil loss of ca. 1.9 × 109 t, of which the net soil loss was estimated as ca. 410 × 106 t (22% of the gross soil loss). Soil loss varied across land cover types, 15 agroecological zones, and 10 river basins, with the main contributors in the respective analyses being cropland (ca. 23% of Ethiopia; 50% of the soil loss; mean soil loss rate of 36.5 t ha−1 yr−1), Moist Weyna Dega (ca. 10%; 20%; 33.3 t ha−1 yr−1), and the Abay basin (ca. 15%; 30%; 32.8 t ha−1 yr−1). Our results show that ca. 25% of Ethiopia (28 × 106 ha) has soil loss rates above 10 t ha−1 yr−1, which is higher than the tolerable soil loss limits estimated for Ethiopia. Ex-ante analysis revealed that implementation of land-cover- and agroecology-specific land management practices (level bunds, graded bunds, trenches, and exclosures combined with trenches and/or bunds) in such areas could reduce the mean soil loss rate from 16.5 t ha−1 yr−1 to 5.3 t ha−1 yr−1 (mean, by ca. 68%; range, 65–70%). Suitable land management practices in the Abay and Tekeze basins and Dega and Weyna Dega agroecologies, which experience particularly severe erosion, would account for ca. 50 and 70% of the estimated soil loss reduction, respectively. This study can help raise awareness among policy makers and land managers of the extent and severity of soil loss by water erosion for better conservation planning in river basins to support sustainable use of land and water resources. •We investigated soil loss rate by water erosion and its spatial pattern in Ethiopia.•The estimated annual gross soil loss is 1.9 × 109 t; 50% originates from cropland.•Abay basin has the highest contribution (30%) to the total soil loss in Ethiopia.•Nearly 25% (28 × 106 ha) of Ethiopia has soil loss rates above 10 t ha−1 yr−1.•Treating erosion-prone areas (>10 t ha−1 yr−1) could reduce the soil loss by 68%.