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Integrated Solutions for Combating Gully Erosion in Areas Prone to Soil Piping: Innovations from the Drylands of Northern Ethiopia
Author(s) -
Frankl Amaury,
Deckers Jozef,
Moulaert Lys,
Van Damme Alexander,
Haile Mitiku,
Poesen Jean,
Nyssen Jan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.2301
Subject(s) - surface runoff , hydrology (agriculture) , erosion control , soil conservation , environmental science , erosion , infiltration (hvac) , water table , dryland salinity , agriculture , geology , water resource management , soil water , soil biodiversity , soil fertility , soil science , groundwater , geotechnical engineering , geography , ecology , paleontology , archaeology , meteorology , biology
Abstract Multiple on‐site and off‐site effects of gully erosion threaten sustainable development, which is especially evident in dryland environments. To control soil erosion by gullying, various soil and water conservation measures have been developed, of which check dams are the most common. Where soil piping occurs, soil and water conservation measures have a limited effect on gully stabilisation, and check dams easily collapse. Therefore, new integrated approaches are needed to control gully erosion induced by soil piping. Here, a subsurface geomembrane dam is proposed as an innovative measure to reduce subsurface flow in soil pipes near gullies. Application of such a dam in Northern Ethiopia resulted in a decrease of gully erosion rates in vertisols and a rising water table in the intergully areas near the gully channel. The consequence of this effect for agriculture near gully channels is the reduction of soil desiccation and, hence, increased crop yields in the intergully areas near the gully channels. In addition, runoff flow diversions into infiltration sites can increase off‐site benefits by strengthening economic activities or fasten environmental rehabilitation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.