Soil erosion in the Anthropocene: Research needs

Soil erosion is a geomorphological and, at the same time, a land degradation process that may cause environmental and property damage, loss of livelihoods and services as well as social and economic disruption. Erosion not only lowers soil quality on-site, but causes also significant sediment-related problems off-site. Given the large number of research papers on this topic, one might therefore conclude that we know now almost everything about soil erosion and its control so that little new knowledge can be added. This conclusion can be refuted by pointing to some major research gaps. There is a need for more research attention to 1) improved understanding of both natural and anthropogenic soil erosion processes and their interactions, 2) scaling up soil erosion processes and rates in space and time, and 3) innovative techniques and strategies to prevent soil erosion or reduce erosion rates. This is illustrated with various case studies from around the world. If future research addresses these research gaps, we will 1) better understand processes and their interactions operating at a range of spatial and temporal scales, predict their rates as well as their on-site and off-site impacts, which is academically spoken rewarding but also crucial for better targeting erosion control measures, and 2) we will be in a better position to select the most appropriate and effective soil erosion control techniques and strategies which are highly necessary for a sustainable use of soils in the Anthropocene.