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<p>Water-driven soil erosion is the dominant land-degradation process affecting agricultural lands in Iran, where mountainous topography, semi-arid climatic conditions, and long-term unsustainable land management converge. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 399 English peer-reviewed studies published up to 2024 to evaluate the principal drivers, impacts, assessment approaches, and management responses to water-induced soil erosion across Iran. Recent national-scale modeling estimates indicate a mean annual soil erosion rate of approximately 16.5 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ across Iran, corresponding to nearly 2.7&#xa0;billion tons of soil loss per year, highlighting the severity of water-driven erosion at the country scale. The reviewed literature shows a marked increase in erosion-related research after 2018, accompanied by broader application of remote sensing, RUSLE-based modeling, and watershed-scale analyses, while long-term field monitoring remains limited in several erosion-prone southern and eastern regions. Across Iran’s diverse agroecological zones, intense rainfall events, steep slopes, erodible calcareous soils, and low soil organic carbon consistently emerge as dominant natural controls. These factors interact with intensive tillage, residue removal, overgrazing, irrigation mismanagement, and land-use conversion to accelerate soil loss and sediment transport. Reported impacts include substantial declines in soil organic carbon and nutrient stocks, increased production costs, and sedimentation of channels and reservoirs, directly affecting agricultural productivity and water availability. Evidence from case studies indicates that conservation agriculture, contour farming, terracing, agroforestry windbreaks, and biological stabilization measures can substantially reduce runoff and soil loss. In particular, cyanobacterial biological soil crusts and microbial-induced calcite precipitation have achieved soil-loss reductions approaching 99% in controlled and pilot-scale applications, while structural and agronomic practices typically reduce erosion by 40–60% under field conditions. Overall, effective soil erosion control in Iran requires nationally integrated and calibrated erosion monitoring, alongside the targeted implementation of nature-based and mechanical interventions aligned with climate-resilient agricultural planning.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Water-Driven Soil Erosion in Iran’s Agricultural Lands: A Nationwide Synthesis of Drivers, Impacts and Management

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月25日

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  • Bahare Rastipishe,
  • Saeedreza Moazeni,
  • Ali Salajegheh,
  • Artemi Cerda

摘要

Water-driven soil erosion is the dominant land-degradation process affecting agricultural lands in Iran, where mountainous topography, semi-arid climatic conditions, and long-term unsustainable land management converge. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 399 English peer-reviewed studies published up to 2024 to evaluate the principal drivers, impacts, assessment approaches, and management responses to water-induced soil erosion across Iran. Recent national-scale modeling estimates indicate a mean annual soil erosion rate of approximately 16.5 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ across Iran, corresponding to nearly 2.7 billion tons of soil loss per year, highlighting the severity of water-driven erosion at the country scale. The reviewed literature shows a marked increase in erosion-related research after 2018, accompanied by broader application of remote sensing, RUSLE-based modeling, and watershed-scale analyses, while long-term field monitoring remains limited in several erosion-prone southern and eastern regions. Across Iran’s diverse agroecological zones, intense rainfall events, steep slopes, erodible calcareous soils, and low soil organic carbon consistently emerge as dominant natural controls. These factors interact with intensive tillage, residue removal, overgrazing, irrigation mismanagement, and land-use conversion to accelerate soil loss and sediment transport. Reported impacts include substantial declines in soil organic carbon and nutrient stocks, increased production costs, and sedimentation of channels and reservoirs, directly affecting agricultural productivity and water availability. Evidence from case studies indicates that conservation agriculture, contour farming, terracing, agroforestry windbreaks, and biological stabilization measures can substantially reduce runoff and soil loss. In particular, cyanobacterial biological soil crusts and microbial-induced calcite precipitation have achieved soil-loss reductions approaching 99% in controlled and pilot-scale applications, while structural and agronomic practices typically reduce erosion by 40–60% under field conditions. Overall, effective soil erosion control in Iran requires nationally integrated and calibrated erosion monitoring, alongside the targeted implementation of nature-based and mechanical interventions aligned with climate-resilient agricultural planning.

Graphical Abstract