Determining the effective factors on creation of gully erosion using data mining methods in Bayan Watershed, Fars Province

Gully erosion is one of the most important phenomenons in land degradation and desertification, which upsets the balance of environmental resources and its sustainability. The aim of this study was to determine the effective factors on creation of gully erosion using data mining methods in Bayan Watershed in the north of Fars Province. K-Means clustering algorithms and CART decision tree were used to model gully erosion. The estimated accuracy based on the parameters affecting the creation area in the final model is 100% for the educational data set and 71.43% for the experimental data set. Results from measuring different variables from 40 selected gullies, including a target variable (creation area) and twelve predictive variables, like creation slope, vegetation, bare soil, surface gravel, surface litter, EC, pH, SAR, OM, clay, silt and sand in field and laboratory operations and the use of data mining techniques, showed that the creation of gullies in this watershed is a function of silt, acidity, bare soil, gravel and organic matter. These results showed the effect of vegetation and consequently, the presence of adequate organic matter in the soil as the most appropriate method for controlling gullies and the destructive and intensifying effect of bare lands without vegetation in intensifying gully erosion. Therefore, it is necessary to establish and establish permanent and compatible vegetation, to stabilize and improve soil structure and increase organic matter, and control and management programs, in lands with more silt, to be operated more carefully.