Gully Erosion in the Lateritic Landscapes of Southeastern Nigeria: A Multidisciplinary Review of Controlling Mechanisms, Spatial Variability, And Integrated Mitigation Strategies

Gully erosion is one of the most destructive forms of land degradation in southeastern Nigeria, where extensive lateritic terrains, intense seasonal rainfall, and increasing anthropogenic disturbances have accelerated landscape degradation, reduced agricultural productivity, damaged critical infrastructure, and displaced vulnerable communities. Despite decades of research and substantial investments in erosion control, gully expansion continues unabated, largely because existing studies have tended to examine hydrological, geotechnical, geomorphological, or land-use factors in isolation, resulting in limited understanding of the complex interactions governing gully initiation, evolution, and spatial variability. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the mechanisms, controlling factors, spatial distribution, and mitigation strategies of gully erosion in the lateritic landscapes of southeastern Nigeria, with emphasis on the interactions between geological, geotechnical, hydrological, geomorphological, and anthropogenic processes. Evidence from field observations and published studies demonstrates that gully initiation is triggered when concentrated surface runoff generated by high-intensity rainfall exceeds the critical shear strength of exposed lateritic soils, while subsequent expansion is governed by the coupled effects of hydraulic scour, headward erosion, seepage, toe undercutting, and gravity-induced slope failures. The severity and morphology of gullies vary considerably across the region owing to differences in lithology, topography, soil composition, groundwater conditions, and land-use practices. Areas underlain by highly permeable, cohesionless, sand-rich lateritic formations exhibit the most rapid gully growth because of their low plasticity, weak structural integrity, and high susceptibility to collapse during repeated wetting–drying cycles. Conversely, soils with higher clay content and greater cohesion exhibit relatively lower rates of gully development. The review further highlights that rapid urbanization, deforestation, poorly designed drainage systems, uncontrolled runoff from roads, and unsustainable agricultural practices significantly amplify natural erosion processes. The synthesis reveals important limitations in existing predictive and management approaches, including inadequate integration of geotechnical and hydrological processes, insufficient field validation of susceptibility models, limited consideration of anthropogenic drivers, and weak translation of scientific findings into engineering practice and public policy. Effective long-term mitigation therefore requires an integrated framework that combines geotechnical characterization, hydrological modelling, high-resolution geospatial monitoring, engineered drainage systems, bioengineering techniques, sustainable land-use planning, and community participation. Such a multidisciplinary approach provides a stronger scientific basis for improving gully erosion prediction, designing resilient control measures, and enhancing environmental sustainability across southeastern Nigeria and other tropical lateritic regions experiencing similar erosion challenges.

Gully erosion, geology, south east Nigeria, land use, runoff, mechanism, mitigation

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