ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessing Soil Erosion Risk in Kazakhstan:
A RUSLE-Based Approach for Land Rehabilitation
			
	
 
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				1
				Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
				 
			 
						
				2
				International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
				 
			 
						
				3
				United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Ontario, Canada
				 
			 
										
				
				
		
		 
			
			
			
			 
			Submission date: 2024-02-01
			 
		 		
		
		
		
			
			 
			Acceptance date: 2024-04-18
			 
		 		
		
			
			 
			Online publication date: 2024-12-30
			 
		 		
		
			
			 
			Publication date: 2025-01-28
			 
		 			
		 
	
							
										    		
    			 
    			
    				    					Corresponding author
    					    				    				
    					Aigul  Tokbergenova   
    					Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi avenue, 71, 050040, Almaty, Kazakhstan
    				
 
    			
				 
    			 
    		 		
			
																																 
		
	 
		
 
 
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(3):3187-3198
		
 
 
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ABSTRACT
Soil degradation is increasing in Kazakhstan, leading to severe losses in land productivity.
The Almaty region, the country’s leading agricultural and industrial province, is among the most affected
areas. The objective of this study is to evaluate, for the first time, the applicability of the revised model
of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) for estimating the rate of soil erosion and identifying areas
susceptible to soil erosion in the Almaty region. The revised USLE (RUSLE) factors, including rainfall
erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length, and steepness, were represented using data on soil, topography,
and land use/vegetation cover from the region. Using the RUSLE model’s algorithms, we generated
an erosion risk map, emphasizing areas with a high potential for erosion. The results show higher soil
erosion rates in agricultural areas with steep slopes and inadequate environmental practices – annual
soil losses in the region are as high as 26,279 t/ha/year in high-risk areas. On average, approximately
88% of the region’s territory loses up to 103 t/ha/year, while 9% loses about three times as much.
Such potential soil erosion risks warrant the implementation of efficient soil conservation strategies
in the region to protect soils, ensure desired agricultural productivity, and support the journey
in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.