A semi-quantitative model to assess the costeffectiveness of soil and water conservation measures

Paolo Vezza, Velio Coviello, Stefania Grimaldi, Irene Angeluccetti

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (Book)Researchpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) measures have been regularly employed in the Sahelian area to reduce soil erosion and reservoir siltation. However, a proper cost-effectiveness analysis of the impact of SWC interventions on the catchment sediment budget is rarely carried out. In this paper, a semi-quantitative model is proposed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of SWC measures at a catchment scale. Focusing on a case study located in Burkina Faso, the catchment sediment budget was estimated for an hypothetical SWC
intervention by means of morphological and pedologic parameters and dam sedimentation rates. The proposed methodology showed interesting potentials for land and water management in the Sahelian region. In particular, where data for model calibration and validation are scarce, and when financial resources are limited, the proposed methodology can provide a diagnostic on sediment transport processes and reservoir capacity loss in order to design and implement suitable SWC actions.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEngineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 3: River Basins, Reservoir Sedimentation and Water Resources
EditorsGiorgio Lollino, Massimo Arattano, Massimo Rinaldi, Orazio Giustolisi, Jean-Christophe Marechal, Gordon E Grant
Place of PublicationCham Switzerland
PublisherSpringer
Pages535 - 538
Number of pages4
ISBN (Print)9783319090535
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Soil erosion
  • Reservoir siltation
  • Soil and water conservation
  • Land and water management

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