MAPPING OF SOIL EROSION RISK IN CROATIA WITH APPLICATION OF GIS
TECHNOLOGY
S.
Husnjak
Faculty of Agriculture, Universioty of Zagreb
shusnjak@agr.hr
Soil damage
done by water erosion is a grave problem both in Croatia and worldwide, with serious
consequences to economic development, and especially to agriculture, forestry
and water management. To prevent its adverse effects, soil protection from
erosion should be an integral part of land management. Assessment of soil
erosion risk and production of erosion risk maps are among the measures to be
undertaken to this end. As described in the paper, the risk of soil erosion by
water in Croatia was
assessed using the qualitative cartographic method of the CORINE program and
maps of potential and actual erosion risk (scale 1:300.000) were made for the
entire area of the Republic
of Croatia. Modern
computer equipment and GIS technology were applied in erosion risk mapping.
Low potential risk of soil erosion by water
was estimated for the largest part (42.3%) of the Republic of Croatia.
Moderate potential erosion risk was determined on 24% and high potential
erosion risk on 32% of the studied area. Low actual risk of soil erosion by
water was recorded on as much as 53.4% of the studied area, moderate actual
risk on 32%, and high actual risk on 13% of the overall area. The Geographic
Information System of soil erosion established in Croatia enables its users to
acquire all the required information, from data on the main input parameters to
the final results of the soil erosion risk assessment. This is an example that
justifies the application of the GIS technology in erosion mapping. The
produced maps of potential and actual erosion risk as well as the GIS of soil
erosion in Croatia
constitute the main sources of information required for planning sustainable
land use and soil protection in the Republic
of Croatia.