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

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 costeffectiveness 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.