Sustainable Geotechnical Solutions to Gully Erosion and Mass Wasting Geohazards in South-Eastern Nigeria

Gully erosion is carving deep channels—sometimes more than 2 metres deep—across the landscape of south-eastern Nigeria, stripping away topsoil and subsoil as runoff carries them off. This matters because the factors that trigger and accelerate gully erosion in tropical soils, particularly the problematic lateritic soils common in Nigeria, remain poorly understood. Without that knowledge, efforts to slow or stop the erosion have made little progress. The research will use physical and numerical modelling, combined with machine learning, to uncover the mechanisms behind gully initiation and development in these soils. If successful, the work could lead to practical, sustainable geotechnical solutions for stabilising vulnerable land. That would directly protect farmland and rural communities from losing productive soil—a critical issue for food security. It would also help preserve roads, buildings, and other infrastructure that are undermined when gullies expand. On a broader scale, the findings could inform soil conservation strategies across other tropical regions facing similar erosion problems, supporting environmental protection and the sustainable development goals tied to land degradation.