Hydrological characterization of a communal rangeland excluded from cattle grazing at Zacatecas, Mexico. I. soil losses

Soil losses due to water erosion under different management systems and native vegetation conditions, as well as the estimate of erosion parameters of the universal soil loss equation (USLE) were evaluated in an exclusion area of a communal rangeland. The USLE parameters were the soil erodibility factor (K) and the cover and management factor (C), which can be used to identify similar areas for results extrapolation. Three management systems and four predominant native vegetation conditions were studied. The management systems and the vegetation conditions were characterized based on their capacity to reduce soil loss. The kinetic energy factor R fluctuated between 382 and 2,100 MJ-mm/ha-h. The management systems and native vegetation conditions evaluated showed differences in soil losses, but without exceeding the allowed erosion limit for the region, which is 2.2 ton/ha/year. The management system, which showed the minimum soil losses, was a combination of trailing prickly pear and varieties that produce fruit and vegetative parts for human and animal consumption. Dense prickly pear clumps (2,000 plants/ha) showed the lower soil losses. The gradual exclusion of small areas, like the one in this study (53 ha), plus the introduction of a less intensive grazing system, must be considered in communally used lands as an option for rehabilitation of rangelands.