Measurement of runoff and soil erosion in three areas under different land use in Sardinia (Italy)

This paper evaluates and compares runoff and soil erosion measurements from three hillslopes under different land use (abandoned grazing land, burned macchia, and Eucalyptus sp. plantation) in southwest Sardinia, Italy, Data were collected in 18 plots set up on the three hillslopes (six plots for each hillslope), from March 1992 to February 1998. The highest runoff and erosion values, ranging from 135.22 to 57.30 mm and from 303.52 to 73.47 g m(-1), respectively, over the entire study period, were measured under the Eucalyptus sp. stands. In the abandoned grazing land, runoff ranged from 45.25 to 12.07 mm and erosion from 137.62 to 12.44 g m(-2), while on the hillslope under burned macchia, runoff ranged from 30.45 to 18.65 mm and erosion from 51.44 to 26.36 g m(-2). According to the literature data, runoff and erosion measured in the 18 plots may be considered low. Statistical analyses of the data indicate significant differences in runoff and erosion among the plots under different land use. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.