Assessing the effects of land use and topography on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau in China

• Most of the Loess Plateau fell within the minimal and low erosion categories.
• The general trend was a shift from relatively more severe erosion to slight.
• The decadal trend of reduced soil erosion was greater for lower vegetation cover.
• The middle slopes and the valleys were the major contributors to soil erosion.
• The vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau had an achievement.

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used in conjunction with geographic information system (GIS) mapping to determine the influence of land use and topography on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau during the period 2000 to 2010. The average soil erosion on the Loess Plateau was 15.2 t ha− 1 yr− 1 in 2000–2010. Most of the Loess Plateau fell within the minimal and low erosion categories during 2000 to 2010. Forest, shrub and dense grassland provided the best protection from erosion, but the decadal trend of reduced soil erosion was greater for the lower vegetation cover of woodland and moderate and sparse grassland. Midslopes and valleys were the major topographical contributors to soil erosion. With slope gradient increased, soil erosion significantly increased under the same land use type, however, significant differences in soil erosion responding to slope gradients differed from land uses. The results indicate that the vegetation restoration as part of the Grain-to-Green Program on the Loess Plateau has been effective.