Effectiveness of erosion control measures along the Qinghai–Tibet highway, Tibetan plateau, China

Severe runoff and water erosion can occur from road sideslopes. To investigate the magnitude of runoff and soil loss from road embankment and the effectiveness of a range of engineering and non-engineering erosion control measures, runoff and soil loss were measured along the Qinghai–Tibet highway near Tuotuo river in the summers of 2003 and 2004. The site is characterized by its high altitude, low summer rainfall and permanently poor vegetation cover. The results show that engineering measures can be effective in the short term, while re-vegetation of the road sideslopes is effective when the vegetation cover is established. A combination of lattice and re-vegetation is most effective overall.