This study was conducted in order to estimate the establishment cost of terracing system in the Caxanga River watershed, in the northwest of Parana State, Brazil, using GIS (Geographical Information Systems). Terrace spacing was obtained by considering soil type, use, management and SLONE, using Bertoni, Bentley and Lombardi Neto equations. The studied watershed showed 91.0% of its whole area with a slope under 8.0%, which characterizes the region with low risk of erosion. The equations proposed by Bertoni and Lombardi Neto estimated establishment costs about 10.8 and 35.0%, respectively, lower than that obtained by using Bentley equation. A good characterization of the studied region was possible with GIS, therefore it may be used as an important tool in soil conservation and environment studies.
terracing; soil conservation; GIS
