Erosión y desertificación.-Efectividad de los proyectos de restauración hidrológico forestal para el control de la erosión en cuencas mediterráneas

Abstract

RESUMEN Extensive land use changes have occurred in many Mediterranean catchments as a result of reforestation and the abandonment of agricultural activities. Besides this, the establishment of check-dams has been promoted to reduce soil erosion and sediment transport. In this study a combination of field work, mapping and modelling was used to test the influence of land use scenarios with and without sediment control structures on sediment yield at catchment scale. Model simulation shows that in a scenario without check-dams, the land used changes between 1956 and 1997 caused a progressive decrease in sediment yield of 54%. In a scenario without land use changes but with check-dams, about 77% of the sediment yield was retained behind the dams. Both land use changes and check-dams are effective measures decreasing sediment yield in catchment, however they act at very different temporal scales. Land use changes are long-term sustained sediment control measures compared with check-dams, which are short-term effective sediment control measures.