Evaluation of watershed soil erosion hazard using combination weight and GIS: a case study from eroded soil in Southern China

Soil erosion is a type of land degradation caused by the interactive interaction of numerous factors, such as natural and socioeconomic conditions of a particular watershed. In this study, a comprehensive integrated methodology was used to evaluate the water erosion hazard in the Zhuxi watershed in Southern China, which is greatly affected by eroded soil. Ten indicators were selected, and a thematic layer map was generated for each indicator using Geographic Information System (GIS). The weight of each evaluation indicator was determined by combining analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with entropy method. Results show that the east and west sections of the Zhuxi watershed have very low and low grades of soil erosion hazards, respectively, and the middle part has the highest hazard. More than 60% of the area has high erosion hazard (moderate to very high). The intensity of soil erosion is lower than its hazard level, especially in high-grade hazard. The obtained results for erosion hazard level can be used to develop conservation strategies for the Zhuxi watershed. This study evaluates soil erosion hazard and offers reference for soil erosion control.