Soil Water erosion status and its impact on the ecological environment in Yulin during coal exploitation over the recent 30 years based on the RUSLE model

Objectives Yulin City, an important coal industry and chemical base in China, is also one of the regions with the most severe soil erosion in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. Studying soil water erosion and its impacts on the ecological environment during coal development in Yulin City is crucial for promoting high−quality regional development.

Methods This study uses multi−source data and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to estimate the amount of soil water erosion in Yulin City from 1990 to 2020, and analyzes its spatio−temporal variation characteristics and potential impacts on the ecological environment.

Results The results show that the soil water erosion modulus in Yulin City has gradually decreased, with the erosion intensity shifting to lower grades. The soil water erosion modulus in coal development areas is lower and has a faster decline rate. Coal development has promoted the implementation of the "returning farmland to forest" policy and soil and water conservation measures by driving regional economic development, leading to significant reductions in the vegetation coverage factor (C) and soil and water conservation measure factor (P), an increase in vegetation coverage, and an overall improvement in the ecological environment.

Conclusions The study reveals that coal development in this region has minimal negative impacts on soil and water conservation. Through reasonable ecological protection measures, a benign interaction between resource development and the ecological environment can be achieved, which is of important practical significance for ecological environmental protection and sustainable development in the city.