Soil erosion on steep hills with varying vegetation patterns

Soil erosion on the slope is a major problem in the northern region of Pakistan, causing hill slope instability and landslides. Previous research focused on the assessment of soil erosion in hilly regions caused by intense flooding. However, there is still a gap in investigating the impact of vegetation patterns and densities on the reduction of soil erosion in a hilly region. Therefore, the current research fills this gap with an experimental investigation of various vegetation patterns and densities for the reduction of soil erosion using a physical model of the hilly regions. Experiments were performed under diverse scenarios including two Froude numbers (Fr = 0.17 and 0.20), two vegetation densities (G/d = 2.13 and 1.09, where G: is the gap between two vegetation elements, and d: is the diameter of the vegetation element), and three soil slopes (10°, 15°, and 20°) in a controlled laboratory setting. The findings of the current research indicate a significant contribution of the denser vegetation (G/d  =  1.09, to the reduction of soil erosion. Moreover, a newly modified pattern of vegetation was introduced by modifying the existing patterns of vegetation with gaps and vegetation strips followed by gaps cutting the rate of erosion by between 9% and 12% compared to a regular arrangement under similar scenarios. Consequently, the current research outcomes may be useful in establishing bio-shields as an environmentally friendly method for mitigating soil erosion.