Soil erosion vulnerability in the southern part of the Meia Ponte watershed, Goias, Brazil

ABSTRACT Soil erosion is a serious environmental problem that can cause numerous types of damage to society and the environment, and thus require preventive measures. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil erosion vulnerability in the southern region of the Meia Ponte watershed, Goias, Brazil, considering two situations: natural and anthropic cover conditions. For the analysis, we used remote sensing data represented by several parameters: lithology, soil class, slope, rain intensity, vegetation index, vicinity of roads, and land use and occupation. For each variable, we established a scale of weights according to erosive susceptibility for natural and anthropogenic environments. Multicriteria analysis, which allows the combination of qualitative and quantitative information in the analysis of erosive susceptibility, was used through the relationship between soil use and land occupation. In the southern part of the Meia Ponte River watershed, the anthropic factor showed greater influence. The factors that increase erosive susceptibility were soil use and occupation, low vegetation index, and high slope. The southern part of the Meia Ponte watershed presents medium natural erosive susceptibility in most of the study area.