Soil Erosion Risk Assessment in ITALY (USLE)

Soil Themes > Soil Erosion > Erosion in ITALY (USLE)

In an attempt to identify erosion-prone areas in the Mediterranean, a project was initiated in Italy that aims to assess erosion risk at national level. The project forms part of the Soil Map of Italy Project, a major initiative aimed at compiling a 1:250,000 scale soil map and associated database for Italy. This is urgently needed for environmental protection and planning the sustainable use of land resources in the country.

An approach based on the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was adopted. The results presented here give a brief overview of the results of the project.

Methods (Universal Soil Loss Equation)

Erosion risk was estimated using the 'Universal Soil Loss Equation'(USLE), which is a simple empirical model that is widely used for assessing long-term annual soil loss. The equation used is:

A = R x K x L x S x C

Where:

										A	: Mean (annual) soil loss [t/(ha.y)]
										R	: Rainfall erosivity factor [(MJ.mm)/(ha.h.y)]
										K	: Soil erodibility factor [(t.ha.h)/(ha.MJ.mm)]
										L	: Slope factor (dimensionless)
										S	: Slope length factor (dimensionless)
										C	: Cover management factor (dimensionless)

Results

The end-product of the Italy erosion product is a set of maps that can be used as an aid to identifying areas that are prone to erosion. Some examples are:

It should be stressed here that the project aims at identifying broad regional patterns of erosion risk, rather than making a detailed quantitative assessment. This means that less reliance should be made on the actual erosion rates than on the broad trends shown on the maps.

Also, the methods used can only account for rill- and inter-rill erosion by water. Gully erosion, which is a major problem in e.g. large parts of Tuscany, cannot be predicted with the approach used. Mass-movements, like landslides, are not taken into account at all. Care should be taken not to use the results of the analyses for purposes for which it was not intended.

Contacts

For more information please contact:
Johan van der Knijff / Dr. Robert J.A. Jones
European Soil Bureau
Joint Research Center of the European Commission
Ispra (VA) 21020 ITALY
Tel: +39 0332 786 329
Fax: +39 0332 786 394
E-mail: r.jones@cranfield.ac.uk

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European Commission - Joint Research Centre
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