@article{PAR00000555,
  title = {{S}patial and temporal assessment of linear erosion in catchments under sloping lands of northern {L}aos},
  author = {{C}haplot, {V}. and le {B}rozec, {E}. {C}. and {S}ilvera, {N}. and {V}alentin, {C}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{L}inear erosion ({LE}), including rilling and gullying, has been identified as the major problem for {S}ustainable agriculture in steepland areas. {I}t causes severe environmental, economic, and social impacts. {T}his issue is even more crucial in those areas undergoing rapid changes in land use, as for example northern {L}aos, and may dramatically affect soil conservation. {D}espite an increasing interest in the sloping lands of tropical areas, field evaluations of {LE} are still infrequent. {F}urthermore, the controlling environmental factors of topography, land use, climate and soils at the catchment level are seldom analysed. {O}ur main objective was to quantify the spatial and temporal variations of {LE} at the catchment level and at a yearly basis. {T}he study was conducted in a 0.62 km(2) watershed of {L}aos ({L}uang {P}rabang province) representative of the slash and bum systems of sloping lands. {L}inear erosion was monitored from 2001 to 2003 within 9 sub-catchments of differing surface areas, topographic characteristics and land use. {T}he length, depth and width of the linear erosion features were recorded every 5-m from their headcuts to their outlets in order to estimate the total catchment {LE}. 52 linear features, mainly rills, were formed or developed within the study area with a mean erosion rate of 1.3 {M}g ha(-1) y(-1). {LE} rates ranged between 0.1 {M}g ha(-1) y(-1) in 2003 to 2.4 {M}g ha(-1) y(-1) in 2001. {LE} features mostly occurred within croplands where erosion rates reached 18 {M}g ha(-1) y(-1) {I}n 2001 and 2002 there was a significant correlation between {LE} and the proportion of the catchment area under crops (r=0.88 and r=0.69, respectively). {H}owever this was not the case in 2003 when few rills developed. {I}n 2002 only, {LE} correlated well with the catchment surface area, the mean slope gradient and the sub-catchment perimeter confirming the non-constancy of {LE} landscape relation tinder varying rainstorm conditions. {A} linear regression model for {LE} prediction at the catchment level, generated from 2001 data, was able to explain 78% of {LE} variance for the 9 sub-catchments. {H}owever, this model was unable to predict accurately {LE} for 2002 and 2003 ({ME}> 5 {M}g ha(-1) y(-1)). {T}his method for quantifying the linear erosion at the catchment level and some of its controlling factors can also be used for prediction over larger areas since topography and land use data, closely correlated with {LE}, are easily accessible. (c) 2005 {E}lsevier {B}.{V}. {A}ll rights reserved.},
  keywords = {rill ; gully ; sloping lands ; catchment level ; environmental factors ; {L}aos},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{C}atena},
  volume = {63},
  numero = {2-3 {S}pecial {I}ss.},
  pages = {167--184},
  ISSN = {0341-8162},
  year = {2005},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.catena.2005.06.003},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00000555},
}