Abstract

Soil water erosion (SWE) is a major driver of land degradation, intensified by overexploitation, inadequate land management, and land-use and land-cover change (LULCC). Identifying vulnerable areas and implementing targeted soil recovery strategies is crucial to mitigate long-term soil degradation. This study presents the first national-scale, multi-temporal assessment of SWE across mainland Chile from 2001 to 2020 using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Mann-Kendall trend analysis to assess SWE patterns and their relationship with climate and LULCC. Our models estimate a total of 2.91 billion Mg of soil lost, with a national mean SWE rate of 30.72 Mg ha?1 yr?1 (±39.45). Cold and Mediterranean climates showed the highest mean rates (50.8 ± 65.24 and 37.46 ± 40.2 Mg ha?1 yr?1, respectively), while temperate and arid climates regions showed the lowest (31.17 ± 46.79 and 3.46 ± 5.59 Mg ha?1 yr?1, respectively). A sustained increasing trend was observed in Mediterranean climates, reflecting the compounding effects of intense LULCC trajectories and climate change. Bare soil remains the most erosion-prone, and human-modified landscapes such as croplands and tree plantations showed rising SWE trends, especially in Mediterranean climates. Based on these patterns, we calculate over 5.57 million hectares that require urgent erosion control interventions. This study provides critical insights for integrated soil conservation planning and contributes to regional and global efforts toward land degradation neutrality and ecosystem resilience. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.