Landscape-Scale Assessment of Gully Erosion Distribution in the Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan: Elevation, Basin, and Anthropogenic Controls

Abstract Gully erosion is a major but poorly documented driver of land degradation across the irrigated plains and foothill zones of Central Asia. This study presents the first comprehensive, landscape-scale inventory of gully erosion in the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan (14,995.7 km²), combining high-resolution imagery (Google Earth Pro) with GIS-based landscape mapping (ArcGIS) and field verification. Gullies were manually digitized and analyzed across 50 landscape units, four major river basins (Syrdarya, Chirchiq, Ohangaron, and Gijigen), and successive elevation zones. Gullies occupy 345.4 km² (2.30%) of the study area overall, yet reach 30–40% of surface area within individual landscape units, particularly in foothill zones between 300 and 600 m a.s.l. The Gijigen and Chirchiq basins account for the largest share of regional gully area (30.5% and 29.8%, respectively), while Gijigen shows the highest within-basin gully density (10.90%). The results indicate a significant relationship between gully prevalence and both elevation zonality and irrigation-related land use. These findings provide the first empirical baseline for basin-level erosion management in the Tashkent region and demonstrate that even landscapes of modest overall extent can host severe, spatially concentrated degradation, supporting targeted soil conservation planning in the irrigated foothill environments of Central Asia.