Forest Soil Erosion in Karst Areas: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms

Dear Colleague,

Karst areas are highly fragile environments that account for approximately 12% of the world’s total land area. Nevertheless, natural factors (such as extreme rainfall, drought, karst rocky desertification and wildfire events) and unreasonable human activities cause forest degradation, resulting in severe soil erosion, which presents unparalleled challenges for the functionality and stability of forest soil ecosystems in karst areas. Despite years of research on soil erosion in karst regions, there remains a dearth of understanding regarding the patterns, processes and mechanisms of forest soil erosion within these areas. Additionally, it is crucial to investigate the impact of forest management techniques and ecological engineering measures, such as restoration and afforestation, on forest soil properties, hydrological processes and erosion features. This research is vital for comprehending forest soil erosion patterns, processes and mechanisms, and facilitating the regeneration and restoration of ecological functions in mountainous forest soils.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Soil characteristics under erosion environment;
• Hydrological processes;
• Soil erosion process and mechanism;
• Soil erosion model;
• Role of forestry measures in preventing soil erosion;
• Forestry strategies for preventing soil erosion.

Dr. Youjin Yan
Prof. Dr. Quanhou Dai
Dr. Fengling Gan
Guest Editors

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