Year: 2025 | Month: November | Volume: 12 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 489-498
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20251150
Beyond Coverage: Evidence-Based Prioritization of High-Quality SLM Interventions for Sustained Nutrient Retention
Bontor L. Tobing1, Fitryane Lihawa2, Dewi Wahyuni K. Baderan3, Asda Rauf4, Hasim5
1Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia,
2,3,4,5Postgraduate Program, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia.
Corresponding Author: Bontor L. Tobing
ABSTRACT
The degradation of land resources across East African watersheds, most acutely evidenced in Ethiopia, presents a substantial threat to agricultural viability and water security due to rampant soil erosion and nutrient depletion. This research introduces a rigorous, evidence-based prioritization framework for Sustainable Land Management (SLM). This framework synergistically integrates empirical field observations, nuanced local knowledge, and advanced SWAT+ modeling tethered to the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Our findings reveal substantial spatial heterogeneity in erosion and nutrient export, where croplands bear the disproportionate burden of degradation, while designated exclosures demonstrate the most pronounced mitigation effects. Crucially, the calibration and validation of the SWAT+ model were significantly refined through the incorporation of community-derived data and empirical field metrics, leading to substantially more accurate spatial identification of erosion hotspots and subsequent conservation prioritization. Furthermore, the analysis strongly suggests that the intrinsic quality and consistent maintenance of SLM/Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) interventions supersede the impact volume of spatial coverage alone. Economically analyzed, prospective SLM practices exhibit favorable cost–benefit ratios, providing justification for their strategic adoption as durable, long-term restoration strategies. This study ultimately contributes a scientifically robust, yet socially contextualized, bio-physical-social framework for comprehensive watershed stewardship, furnishing actionable scientific insights alongside pragmatic policy directives for ecological restoration.
Keywords: Sustainable Land Management (SLM); Soil and Water Conservation (SWC); SWAT+; Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); soil erosion; nutrient loss; local knowledge.
[PDF Full Text]