An application of De Ploey’s Es model for a quick appraisal of the gully erosion activity in a small watershed in the Eritrean Highlands (Halhale, Debarwa)

Abstract

The future development of the new State of Eritrea shall be based, above all, on the expansion of agricultural activity by means of the conservation and better utilization of two fundamental resources: soil and water. Therefore the control of soil erosion, the main degradational process causing the progressive desertification of large areas, is one of a long list of problems to be solved in a short time. Soil erosion features, such as gullies, which are widespread in the Eritrean Highlands, may give us an important insight for the evaluation of both the intensity and the dynamics of these active landforms, and thus allow us to select the most appropriate criteria for impeding their aggressiveness. On the other hand, given the lack of basic research and information, the methodology to be employed must be simple, quick and easy to apply, as well as low-cost. De Ploey’s Es Model, applied to a small watershed in the Upper Mareb Valley in the Eritrean Highlands near Asmara, has not only verified severe soil erosion activity and the urgent need for control measures, but it has also tested a valid monitoring tool, capable of working even in areas for which there is pratically no information available.