Evaluation of the Ecological Effects of Ecological Restoration Programs: A Case Study of the Sloping Land Conversion Program on the Loess Plateau, China

Yuanjie Deng; Lei Jia; Yajun Guo; Hua Li; Shunbo Yao; Liqi Chu; Weinan Lu; Mengyang Hou; Binbin Mo; Yameng Wang; Haiyu Yang; Tongyue Zhang

doi:10.3390/ijerph19137841

Evaluation of the Ecological Effects of Ecological Restoration Programs: A Case Study of the Sloping Land Conversion Program on the Loess Plateau, China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 26;19(13):7841. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137841.

Authors

Yuanjie Deng^{1

2}, Lei Jia^{1

2}, Yajun Guo^{1

2}, Hua Li^{1

2}, Shunbo Yao^{1

2}, Liqi Chu¹, Weinan Lu¹, Mengyang Hou^{3

4}, Binbin Mo¹, Yameng Wang¹, Haiyu Yang¹, Tongyue Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
² Center for Resource Economics and Environment Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
³ School of Economics, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China.
⁴ Research Center of Resources Utilization and Environmental Conservation, Baoding 071000, China.

Abstract

The Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) is the largest ecological restoration program in the world. Evaluating the ecological effects of the SLCP not only provides a scientific basis for China to improve the SLCP but also provides a reference for other countries in the world to evaluate the ecological effects of ecological restoration programs being implemented or to be implemented. To this end, we took the Loess Plateau, the core area for the implementation of the SLCP, as an example and, based on multi-source remote sensing data and GIS technology, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological effects of the implementation of the SLCP on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that, first, from 2000 to 2018, a total of 12,372.05 km² of cultivated land was converted into forest land and grassland on the Loess Plateau, and this contributed to an increase in vegetation cover from 45.09% in 2000 to 64.15% in 2018, and a decrease in the soil erosion modulus from 26.41 t·hm^-2·yr^-1 in 2000 to 17.92 t·hm^-2·yr^-1 in 2018. Second, the 6-25° slope range is the core area of the Loess Plateau for implementation of the SLCP. In this range, the area of cultivated land converted into forest land and grassland accounts for 60.16% of the total area of transferred cultivated land. As a result, the 6-25° slope range has become the most significant area for improving vegetation cover and reducing the soil erosion intensity, and it is mainly concentrated in the southwestern, central and central-eastern hilly and gully areas of the Loess Plateau. Third, from 2000 to 2018, the climate of the Loess Plateau tended to be warm and humid and was conducive to the implementation of the SLCP. Among these factors, precipitation is the dominant factor in determining the spatial distribution of vegetation on the Loess Plateau, and the increase in precipitation is also the main reason for the promotion of vegetation growth. Fourthly, from 2000 to 2018, the ecological environment of the Loess Plateau was significantly improved as a result of the combined effects of the implementation of the SLCP and climate warming and humidification, but the primary reason is still the implementation of the SLCP.

Keywords: Loess Plateau; Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP); ecological effects; ecological restoration programs.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Climate
Conservation of Natural Resources* / methods
Ecosystem
Forests
Soil*

Substances

Soil

Grants and funding

This research was supported by China’s National Natural Science Foundation for the project “The Ecological Efficiency of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and Its Pathways for Improved Implementation” (grant number 71473195) and the program of the Special Scientific Research Fund of Forestry Public Welfare Profession of China “Monitoring and Evaluation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and Its Technical Optimization” (grant number 201504424).