8/9/2019 The Loess Plateau Watershed Rehab Project

1/2

Soil degradation in ChinaThe Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project 1995 to2015

• 645 000km2 east of Tibetan plateau

• Most eroded place on earth

• Giant gullies

• Vegetation coered remoed! rainfall "ashed a"a#!

immediatel# runs o$ in gull# %5& is run o$ 

• 'sed to take (00 da#s to run o$ to )ello" rier

• 'sed to be grassland intact ecos#stem

• *o"! )ello" rier from Tibetan plateau to *orthern China tothe sea

• +ier is also kno"n as the Mother +ier due to deelopment

of Chinese ciili,ation (0!000 #ears ago along the rier

• -nitial impacts b# logging! tried to plant crops on steep slopesand free gra,ed sheep until denuded! e.ploited the land! (million tonnes of sediment chocked the )ello" rier! forhousing! /re"ood! ancient practices

• ust storms from the 1oess plateau e$ects entire sia!mainl# *orth China

• -ncreases Green house e$ect

• (%%5 started! degraded eco! absence of egetation coer!

soil stabilit#! natural fertilit#! abilit# to absorb "ater!se3uester carbon had been lost

• 1 illustrates the fact that human impact "ithout consideringenironment ecos#stem!

• loods and then droughts for rest of the #ear and famine

• 1 people "ere trapped in poert# and ecologicaldegradation

•  The more the# tr# to make a liing! the "orse the

enironment became unsustainable agricultural practices

• -ntact ecos#stem Chinese goernment! tr#ing to improesoil and thus econom#

• 7cologic rene"al

•  The# "ant us to plant trees een in good land! but the# don8t"ant to plant trees because #ou can8t eat trees! but it holdsthe soil do"n! making it better for crop gro"th

• 7conomic and ecological had to be e3ual

• armers to improe income #et preseres the enironmentho"9

• armers paid for labour! the# also had land use rights and allthe output!

• ll the# "anted "as productie /eld to gro" crops

• 250:;00mm rainfall a #ear su

8/9/2019 The Loess Plateau Watershed Rehab Project

2/2

• small dams "ere built to catch rain to be used for the rest ofthe #ear

• sustainable "ater management is re3uired for long termiabilit#

• not a panacea tree planting!

• trees planted in (%%5! the surial rate "as problematic

because the soil "ould not support the trees

• grasses and bushes increases soil stabilit# and "aterabsorption! soil fertilit#

• actie measures such as dune stabili,ation! to hold sand! toprotect plants

• last decade! sho"n to rehab large scale ecos#stem! soilstabilit#! reduced erosion! return natural stabilit#! return ofdierse plants and animals biodiersit#! "ater absorption and=o"! stead# stream throughout the #ear! se3uestered

carbon! carbon balance• insects! birds>other plants and frogs

• not introducing an#thing ne"! ?ust correcting the mistakes

• local income 3uadruple in a decade

• ne" crops practices replacing old agricultural practices

• ine#ards and orchards

• greenhouses increases the gro"ing season

• pen feeding increases out put instead of free gra,ing

• reducing impact on slope lands

•

@& of arable land but 22& of population• restore agricultural land is to increases food securit#

• thick soil la#er but no nutrients

• in other areas of the "orld! the soil is too thin! actie erosionprocess can be stopped to preent the point of no return

• top soil la#er is onl# a fe" inches in South china! soil

e.ploited! no longer can be used

• restore egetation coer! restore carbon c#cle! dust reduced!run:o$ decreased

• impossible to estimate increase biodiersit#! increase soil

nutrients! h#drological c#cle! se3uester carbon>• emplo#ing them AfarmersB in conseration of large scale

ecos#stem! the# bene/t as "ell