Strategic Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Strategic Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Analysis of the Gully Erosion Status in Iran and its Relationship with Land Use Changes Over the Past Twenty Five Years

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Zahra Abdollahpour 1
Aliakbar Nazarisamani 2
Mahmoud Arab Khedri 3
1 Department of Arid and Mountainous Areas Restoration, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Alborz, Iran
2 Department of Arid and Mountainous Region Reclamation, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
3 . Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute (SCWMRI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran.
10.22047/srjasnr.2026.566461.1150
Abstract
Gully erosion is among the most severe forms of land degradation. Yet at large spatial scales, its relationship with land-use patterns has rarely been assessed, using a comparative approach. This study evaluated the effects of different land-use types on gully erosion expansion across second-order basins of the Iranian Water Resources Research Organization during the 2000s and 2010s. This scale was selected because of the critical role of watersheds in erosion management and the availability of reliable spatial datasets. Gully locations were identified using Google Earth imagery, existing databases, and field surveys, and were overlaid with land-use maps for both decades. Stepwise regression analysis was applied to examine the relationships between absolute and relative gully erosion areas and land-use categories. The results showed that the total updated gully-eroded area in Iran reached approximately 4.47 million hectares. During the 2010s, the extent of dryland farming, irrigated agriculture, forests, and residential areas increased. In both decades, rangelands contained the largest absolute gully erosion area, covering 1867511 ha in the 2000s and 1789917 ha in the 2010s. However, based on the concentration ratio index, the highest erosion intensity occurred in river margins, stream channels, and miscellaneous lands. A significant positive relationship was identified between dryland farming and both absolute and relative gully erosion areas. Overall, the findings confirm a strong dependence of gully erosion on land-use type. Dryland farming areas, stream channels, degraded rangelands, and barren lands were recognized as the most vulnerable land uses, while the Qareh-Qom watershed was identified as the highest management priority among Iran’s second order basins.
Keywords
Dryland farming
Irrigated agriculture
Land degradation
Rangeland
Subjects
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Strategic Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Volume 11, Issue 2
October 2026
Pages 225-238