Spatial analysis of susceptibility to erosion in the Administrative Post of Bilibiza, Mozambique

Abstract

Soil is a non-renewable resource whose excessive use can lead to erosion. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows assessing the susceptibility to erosion in a given area from which measures can be taken to minimize its adverse impact. In our study, we analyzed the susceptibility to erosion at the Administrative Post of Bilibiza, in Mozambique, through the use of GIS based on environmental variables that favor its occurrence. Erosion susceptibility maps were generated as a function of topography, precipitation, soil types, land cover and occupation and geology. Then, the global susceptibility map was generated by overlapping all variables, using multicriteria analysis, according to the degree of importance of each factor in erosion. About 36.33% of the area has high to very high susceptibility to erosion due to the occurrence of sandy soils. The areas with very low to low susceptibility are 36.49% of the total extension, being influenced by the high vegetation cover, low slope and low altitude. GIS proved to be an excellent tool for assessing susceptibility to erosion in Bilibiza.