With the rapid improvement in socioeconomic conditions globally, the demand for water resources has dramatically increased. Evaluating water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) is crucial for regional sustainable development. To date, limited attention has been paid to WRCC in areas of predominantly sandy land, with the impact of vegetation restoration in ecologically degraded areas on WRCC remaining unclear. In this study, using a comprehensive evaluation index and a system dynamics model, we evaluated the WRCC of the Mu Us Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia, China, from 2000 to 2019 then projected to 2030. Our results show WRCC has decreased since 2000, reaching a general state by 2019. In a future scenario where historical development remains unabated, WRCC will continue to decline to a poor carrying state by 2030. The comprehensive scheme based on industrial restructuring and water conservation performed the best in terms of WRCC, continuously increasing and returning to a general carrying state by 2030. Our findings highlight the WRCC of the Mu Us Sandy Land is not optimistic and subsequent ecological restoration should proceed with caution. A comprehensive scheme is an optimal development strategy for the future.

As one of the countries with the highest desertification in the world, sand ecological restoration and management have been given great attention in China. However, a systematic and comprehensive review of sand-restoration technology is still lacking. Therefore, with “sand restoration technology” and “China” as the keywords, we reviewed 226 English articles and 512 Chinese articles based on the Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure data sources from 1990 to 2021. The results showed that (1) The number of published articles about sand-restoration technology increased during the last 30 years, experiencing a slow–fast–steady growth process. (2) The analysis of keyword hotspots showed that the literature focuses on restoration, Maowusu sandy land, vegetation restoration, sand barrier, governance model, etc. (3) Biological restoration techniques are dominant among sand-restoration techniques and are mainly carried out through plant and physical technology. (4) Composite sand-restoration technology, including arbors, shrubs, grass, and soil, is a progressive research topic for the future. By installing an incorporated device for sand-restoration generation, we offer a theoretical foundation for strengthening sand-restoration generation in China and beyond.

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