Assessment of economic cost of soil erosion-a case study of Guizhou Province

Based on the present situation of the serious soil erosion, which is the consequence and a form of the comprehensive representation of ecological disturbance in Guizhou, and the basic principles and methodology of environmental economics, the amounts of N, P and K lost and amount of the soil detained and deposited as a result of soil erosion, were selected as the five major indexes for assessment of economic costs. Monetary values of the economic costs on-site and off-site were worked out. Comparison of the results with the main indexes of the economy construction in the province shows directly the extent of the economic costs resulting from the soil erosion there. The study has also clarified some concepts relevant to economic costs of soil erosion that were not fully understood before.