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**57**

**Chapter 4**

**Abstract**

3 and 10.8%.

oceanic climate

**1. Introduction**

Evaluating Differences of

Ibrahim, Lebanon

Erosion Patterns in Natural and

Anthropogenic Basins through

Scenario Testing: A Case Study

of the Claise, France and Nahr

*Mario J. Al Sayah, Rachid Nedjai, Chadi Abdallah,* 

This study assessed soil erosion risks of two basins representing different geographical, topographical, climatological and land occupation/management settings. A comparison and an evaluation of site-specific factors influencing erosion in the French Claise and the Lebanese Nahr Ibrahim basins were performed. The Claise corresponds to a natural park with a flat area and an oceanic climate, and is characterized by the presence of 2179 waterbodies (mostly ponds) considered as hydro-sedimentary alternating structures, while Nahr Ibrahim represents an orographic Mediterranean basin characterized by a random unequal land occupation distribution. The Claise was found to be under 12.48% no erosion (attributed to the dense pond network), 65.66% low, 21.68% moderate and 0.18% high erosion risks; while Nahr Ibrahim was found to be under 4, 39.5 and 56.4%, low, moderate and high erosion risks, along with 66% land degradation determined from the intersection of land capability and land occupation maps. Under the alternative scenario for the Claise where ponds were considered dried, erosion risks became 1.12, 0.52, 76.8 and 21.56%, no erosion, low, moderate and high risks, respectively. For Nahr Ibrahim, and following the Land Degradation Neutrality intervention, high erosion risks decreased by 13.9%, while low and moderate risks increased by

**Keywords:** erosion, LDN, land degradation, ponds, Mediterranean climate,

Soil erosion is considered as the most amplified manifestation of land loss worldwide. It has become one of the most pressuring global problems facing sustainable development at rates exceeding pedogenesis by 10–40 times [1].

*Michel Khouri, Talal Darwish and François Pinet*

## **Chapter 4**
