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Impact assessment of land cover and land use changes on soil erosion changes (2005–2015) in Pakistan

Abrupt changes in climatic conditions, exploitation of natural resources, and land degradation exacerbate soil erosion. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of soil erosion dynamics in Pakistan for 2005 and 2015 at 1 km2 spatial resolution using six influencing factors: rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope‐length (L), slope‐steepness (S), cover management (C), and conservation practice (P). The well‐accepted revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) was implemented to estimate soil erosion. The soil erosion maps were categorized into four classes: low (<1), medium (1–5), high (5–20), and very high (>20) — and transitions among these classes were determined by applying the change matrix method to assess soil erosion (ton ha‐1 yr‐1) changes from 2005 to 2015. Furthermore, spatial patterns and soil erosion dynamics were evaluated for seven administrative units of Pakistan to examine conservation efforts and ecosystem services. Major findings of this study indicate, that at the national scale, an estimated soil erosion of 1.79 ± 11.52 ton ha‐1 yr‐1 in 2005, which increased to 2.47 ± 18.14 ton ha‐1 yr‐1 in 2015. This intensification of soil erosion is coupled with land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) due to population expansion, infrastructural development, and exploitation of natural resources. This study's analytical framework and outcomes could be used for developing effective conservation policies to control soil erosion at various spatial scales in Pakistan.