Rainfall Erosivity and Soil Erosion Risk Assessment in Tropical Island Environments: A Case Study of Mauritius
Small island states are vulnerable to soil erosion due to fragile natural resource bases and, particularly in tropical environments, erosive rainfall. Few studies, however, provide erosion risk assessments for small islands upon which conservation strategies and land use planning can be based. Investigations on Mauritius in the tropical Indian Ocean show the value in providing catchment and island scale erosion risk assessments, particularly where land use change may increase erosion rates. Findings also highlight the potential impact of non cyclonic rainfall events and the effect that island topography has on rainfall erosivity distribution. Where detailed sub event scale rainfall data are available from automated stations, these data are found to provide for more accurate erosion prediction. Field calibration of erosion models, however, remains an important avenue for future research.