SOIL EROSION PREDICTION IN CYPRUS USING THE REVISED UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS EQUATION (RUSLE)

Cyprus, an arid, Mediterranean island that has been irrigated for the last 5,000 years, continues to be plagued by soil erosion, which has decreased agricultural productivity, degraded habitats, and reduced water quality. In concordance with the European Union Soil Directive to map various threats to soil quality and strive for sustainability, we developed a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to map annual soil losses on Cyprus. The R-factor was calculated from an existing R-factor map in the southern part of the island and an annual rainfall erosivity model for northern part of the island. The K-factor was estimated using soil maps available from the Department of Agriculture. The LS-factor was derived from a 30-m digital elevation model and the P-factor was set to 1. The C-factor was calculated from a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Landsat 7, which was then scaled to the C-factor (-1 to +1). The results show that an extended part of Cyprus is undergoing severe erosion (values that exceed replacement rates) for some watersheds. It is anticipated that these results can guide the development and implementation of best soil management practices in Cyprus.