Long-term contemporary erosion rates in an arid rangelands environment in western New South Wales, Australia

Rates of soil loss were determined using erosion pins on a severely eroded surface in a small (19 km²) arid rangelands catchment in western New South Wales, Australia, over a 10-year period. Rates of up to 209 t ha^-1 year^-1 on rilled surfaces, 59·5 t ha^-1 year^-1 on flat surfaces, and 30·6 t ha^-1 year^-1 on vegetated hummocky surfaces were calculated. The initiation of this erosion is attributed to overgrazing by sheep and rabbits in the late nineteenth century, and its amelioration is precluded by hydraulic factors which prevent the use of reclamation techniques like waterponding.