ASSESSMENT OF SOIL EROSION INTENSITY IN KOLUBARA DISTRICT, SERBIA

The paper shows spatial estimation of soil loss applying USLE equation in the area of Kolubara district. Apart from the erosion factor and vegetative cover factor, soil erodibility (K factor) is a key parameter for soil erosion modelling. The erodibility factor in the area of Kolubara district was calculated using the Wishmaier and Smith method. The land in the study area is mainly used for agriculture and C factor was determined by Corine Land Cover 2000. The objective of this study was to assess the applicability of a simple methodology, based on the application of USLE model, to determine the erosion intensity of certain soil types. In the area of Kolubara district the most common soil category is the one not threatened by water erosion covering 53.9% of the total territory. 15.6% is low threatened, 14.7% moderately threatened, 9.51% is highly threaten and very high threatened is 6.23% of the total territory. Compared to the area they cover, extremely endangered soils are Haplic Cambisol (Dystric), Haplic Cambisol (Eutric, Skeletic) and Haplic Cambisol (Eutric). Low and very low erosion category in the study area were noted in previous researches and the tendency of erosion reduction resulted from the change in land use, i.e. abandoning large agricultural areas.