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The Dali River basin as the representative areas of the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Accurately evaluating the degree of soil erosion control is very important for soil erosion control. In response to the problems existing in the current research on soil erosion control degree (SECD) methods, the maximum possible soil erosion modulus is introduced into the evaluation model. Thereby eliminating the uncertainty of the assumed state of the original model. This paper calculates the SECD for 2020 based on this method. The results show: (1) From the soil erosion modulus spatial distribution, it can be seen that the soil erosion intensity is stronger in the eastern and southwestern parts. (2) Based on the SECD spatial distribution, it was found that eastern and southwestern regions were well controlled. This is consistent with the actual situation. (3) As the slope increases, the area proportion of SECD within the 0.2-0.3 range in each slope zone shows an increasing trend, while that of SECD within the 0.5-1 range gradually decreases; (4) In the case of vegetation coverage greater than 80%, SECD is still concentrated between 0.3-0.5, which indicates that vegetation coverage is not the only factor affecting soil erosion control. This research provided a new perspective for the evaluation of SECD.

Erosion‐control measures in rivers aim to provide sufficient navigation width, reduce local erosion, or to protect neighboring communities from flooding. These measures are typically devised to solve a local problem. However, local channel modifications trigger a large‐scale channel response in the form of migrating bed level and sediment sorting waves. Our objective is to investigate the large‐scale channel response to such measures. We consider the lower Rhine River from Bonn (Germany) to Gorinchem (the Netherlands), where numerous erosion‐control measures have been implemented since the 1980s. We analyze measured bed level data (1999–2020) around four erosion‐control measures, comprising scour filling, bendway weirs, and two fixed beds. To get further insight on the physics behind the observed behavior, we set up an idealized one‐dimensional numerical model. Finally, we study how the geometry and spacing of the measures affect channel response. We show that erosion‐control measures reduce the sediment flux due to (a) lack of erosion over the measure and (b) sediment trapping upstream of the measure, resulting in downstream‐migrating incision waves that travel tens of kilometers at decadal timescales. When the measures are in close proximity, their downstream effects may be amplified. We conclude that, despite fulfilling erosion‐control goals at the local scale, erosion‐control measures may worsen large‐scale channel‐bed incision. Key Points Erosion‐control measures reduce upstream incision and enhance downstream incision in an overall‐incising river system The net amount and extent of enhanced downstream incision are larger than the reduced incision upstream For multiple erosion‐control measures, the enhanced downstream incision increases with reduced spacing between measures

1. Great efforts have been made to control soil erosion by restoring plant communities in degraded ecosystems world-wide. However, soil erosion has not been substantially reduced mainly because current restoration strategies lead to large areas of mono-specific vegetation, which are inefficient in reducing soil erosion because of their simple canopy and root structure. Therefore, an advanced understanding of how community functional composition affects soil erosion processes, as well as an improved restoration scheme to reduce soil erosion, is urgently needed. 2. We investigated the effect of community functional composition on soil erosion in restored semi-arid grasslands on the Loess Plateau of China. Community functional composition of 16 restored grasslands was quantified by community-weighted mean (CWM) and functional diversity (FD) trait values, which were calculated from nine plant functional traits of thirteen locally dominant plant species. Species richness and evenness were also measured. Soil erosion rates were measured using standard erosion plots. The multimodel inference approach was used to estimate the direction and the relative importance of these biodiversity indices in reducing soil erosion. 3. A robust and strong negative effect of functional divergence (FDiv) on soil erosion was found. The prevalence of particular trait combinations can also decrease soil erosion. The greatest control over soil erosion was exerted when the community mean root diameter was small and the root tensile strength was great. 4. Synthesis and applications: These findings imply that community functional diversity plays an important role in reducing soil erosion in semi-arid restored grasslands. This means that current restoration strategies can be greatly improved by incorporating community functional diversity into restoration design. We propose a trait-based restoration framework for reducing soil erosion, termed 'SSM' (Screening-Simulating-Maintaining). SSM aims to translate the target of community functional diversity into community assemblages that can be manipulated by practitioners. Based on this framework, a comprehensive procedure, highlighting functional diversity as the primary concern in determining optimal community assemblages, was developed to meet the pressing need for more effective restoration strategies to reduce soil erosion.

Various soil erosion control techniques (SECTs) have been applied for decades. Yet, dynamic development of SECTs on a global scale has not been fully explored in the literature. We identified 779 publications to summarize spatial and temporal patterns of SECT development across the world. To achieve this goal, we asked (a) how many SECTs have been applied in the real world? (b) How do susceptible erosion areas use SECTs? And (c) what are the temporal patterns of SECT development? We found 183 sub-categories of SECTs, including 85 sub-categories of engineering techniques, 76 sub-categories of cropping techniques, and 22 sub-categories of biological techniques. In contrast, there is a great deal of interest in the evaluation of biological techniques and cropping techniques for soil erosion control. SECT research has evolved from an initial focus on a single SECT evaluation to a combination of SECTs evaluations (e.g. a combination of conservation tillage and mulch). Likewise, 64% of SECT cases were found in six countries with a different focal SECT among them: China and Spain targeted vegetation restoration, Brazil and the United States focused on conservation tillage, Ethiopia prioritized mixed SECTs, and India emphasized on check dam. Lastly, SECT application started from site erosion control (1930s–1980s), watershed management (1980s–2010s), to sustainable management (after 2010s). We identify the gaps between SECT application and research and a lack of an international platform for knowledge sharing, and propose that a combination of different SETCs in a balanced way is a reliable approach to obtaining the goal of sustainable soil management.

Soil erosion is a complex natural process that occurs by either individual or combined actions of wind, hydraulic currents, waves, and rain. This study comprehensively reviews biocementation-based soil stabilisation techniques for developing erosion-resilient landforms through an ecologically conscious strategy. The different pathways for biocementation occurring in nature are discussed with a focused view on the microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technique. MICP relies on biogenic calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation via the urea hydrolysis route to bind the soil grains. The kinetics and factors affecting MICP are succinctly discussed to highlight the practical challenges associated with biocementation. This study emphasises the influence of MICP on erosion resistance (aeolian and hydraulic) and geotechnical properties of soils. The critical assessment of the previous studies revealed that aeolian and hydraulic erosion can be effectively controlled with a small to moderate quantity of biogenic CaCO3 (2% to 10% of soil weight). MICP marginally influences the hydraulic conductivity of soils with a substantial improvement in compressive strength, making it desirous over traditional soil cementation agents for erosion control due to the limited intervention to natural groundwater flow. However, the scientific design and findings of the previous laboratory-scale and pilot-scale research are still inconsistent for standardising biocementation techniques to transition towards upscaling. This study presents critical insights to the researchers of the environmental, geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering domains to design their upcoming studies to tackle the challenges required for upscaling biocementation technology.

The capacity of soil and water conservation measures, defined as the maximum quantity of suitable soil and water conservation measures contained in a region, were deter- mined for the Loess Plateau based on zones suitable for establishing terraced fields, forest- land and grassland with the support of geographic information system （GIS） software. The minimum possible soil erosion modulus and actual soil erosion modulus in 2010 were calcu- lated using the revised universal soil loss equation （RUSLE）, and the ratio of the minimum possible soil erosion modulus under the capacity of soil and water conservation measures to the actual soil erosion modulus was defined as the soil erosion control degree. The control potential of soil erosion and water loss in the Loess Plateau was studied using this concept. Results showed that the actual soil erosion modulus was 3355 t-km-2.a-1, the minimum pos- sible soil erosion modulus was 1921 t.km-2.a-1, and the soil erosion control degree was 0.57 （medium level） in the Loess Plateau in 2010. In terms of zoning, the control degree was rela- tively high in the river valley-plain area, soil-rocky mountainous area, and windy-sandy area, but relatively low in the soil-rocky hilly-forested area, hilly-gully area and plateau-gully area. The rate of erosion areas with a soil erosion modulus of less than 1000 t.km-2.a-1 increased from 50.48% to 57.71%, forest and grass coverage rose from 56.74% to 69.15%, rate of ter- raced fields increased from 4.36% to 19.03%, and per capita grain available rose from 418 kg.a-1 to 459 kg.a-1 under the capacity of soil and water conservation measures compared with actual conditions. These research results are of some guiding significance for soil and water loss control in the Loess Plateau.

Understanding the drivers of ecosystem change and their effects on ecosystem services are essential for management decisions and verification of progress towards national and international sustainability policies (e.g., Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Sustainable Development Goals). We aim to disentangle spatially the effect of climatological and non-climatological drivers on ecosystem service supply and trends. Therefore, we explored time series of three ecosystem services in Switzerland between 2004 and 2014: carbon dioxide regulation, soil erosion prevention, and air quality regulation. We applied additive models to describe the spatial variation attributed to climatological (i.e., temperature, precipitation and relative sunshine duration) and non-climatological drivers (i.e., random effects representing other spatially structured processes) that may affect ecosystem service change. Obtained results indicated strong influences of climatological drivers on ecosystem service trends in Switzerland. We identified equal contributions of all three climatological drivers on trends of carbon dioxide regulation and soil erosion prevention, while air quality regulation was more strongly influenced by temperature. Additionally, our results showed that climatological and non-climatological drivers affected ecosystem services both negatively and positively, depending on the regions (in particular lower and higher altitudinal areas), drivers, and services assessed. Our findings highlight stronger effects of climatological compared to non-climatological drivers on ecosystem service change in Switzerland. Furthermore, drivers of ecosystem change display a spatial heterogeneity in their influence on ecosystem service trends. We propose an approach building on an additive model to disentangle the effect of climatological and non-climatological drivers on ecosystem service trends. Such analyses should be extended in the future to ecosystem service flow and demand to complete ecosystem service assessments and to demonstrate and communicate more clearly the benefits of ecosystem services for human well-being.

The hilly red soil region of southern China suffers from severe soil erosion that has led to soil degradation and loss of soil nutrients. Estimating the content and spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) and assessing the influence of topography and land-use type on SOC and STN after years of soil erosion control are important for vegetation restoration and ecological reconstruction. A total of 375 topsoil samples were collected from Changting County, and their SOC and STN distributions were studied by using descriptive statistics and geostatistical methods. Elevation, slope, aspect and land-use type were selected to investigate the impacts of natural and human factors on the spatial heterogeneity of SOC and STN. The mean SOC and STN concentrations were 15.85 and 0.98 g kg -1 with moderate spatial variations, respectively. SOC and STN exhibited relatively uniform distributions that decreased gradually from the outside parts to the center of the study area. The SOC and STN contents in the study area were still at moderate and low levels after years of erosion control, which suggests that soil nutrient improvement is a slow process. The lowest SOC and STN values were at lower elevations in the center of Changting County. The results indicated that the SOC and STN contents increased most significantly with elevation and slope due to the influence of topography on the regional natural environment and soil erosion in the eroded hilly region. No significant variations were observed among different slope directions and land-use types.

Soil erosion is a pressing environmental issue with significant agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability implications. In recent years, biochar, a carbon-rich product of biomass pyrolysis, has emerged as a promising soil amendment tool for erosion control due to its ability to improve soil quality and stability. This review paper aims to comprehensively analyze the effectiveness of biochar role in mitigation of soil erosion and sustainable land management practices. By examining a wide range of research studies, this paper elucidates the impact of biochar on key soil erosion parameters as it directly affects the soil structure, water-holding capacity, and nutrient retention. The paper discusses how biochar interacts with soil particles and aggregates to enhance their stability and resistance to erosive forces. It also assesses the influence of biochar properties, such as feedstock type, pyrolysis temperature, and application rate, on its erosion control efficacy. Furthermore, this review explores the role of biochar in promoting plant growth and root development, thereby reinforcing the vegetation cover and further reducing erosion susceptibility. Finally, an outline of potential challenges and opportunities for the widespread adoption of biochar-based erosion control strategies in different agricultural and environmental contexts is presented. Overall, this review provides valuable insights into the multifacet role of biochar in sustainable soil management and offers recommendations for future research directions on direct and indirect application on soil erosion control.

Bank erosion is integral to the functioning of river ecosystems. It is a geomorphic process that promotes riparian vegetation succession and creates dynamic habitats crucial for aquatic and riparian plants and animals. River managers and policymakers, however, generally regard bank erosion as a process to be halted or minimized in order to create landscape and economic stability. Here, we recognize bank erosion as a desirable attribute of rivers. Recent advances in our understanding of bank erosion processes and of associated ecological functions, as well as of the effects and failure of channel bank infrastructure for erosion control, suggest that alternatives to current management approaches are greatly needed. In this article, we develop a conceptual framework for alternatives that address bank erosion issues. The alternatives conserve riparian linkages at appropriate temporal and spatial scales, consider integral relationships between physical bank processes and ecological functions, and avoid secondary and cumulative effects that lead to the progressive channelization of rivers. By linking geomorphologic processes with ecological functions, we address the significance of channel bank erosion in sustainable river and watershed management.