Progress in combating aeolian desertification (land degradation resulting from wind erosion) has been achieved in an agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China since the mid-1980s. This paper reviews three common measures used to combat and control aeolian desertification in such regions. In addition, it introduces a case study on the recovery of a degraded semi-arid ecosystem to provide regional lessons and support theoretical and practical approaches to desertification prevention and reversal on a global scale. On the basis of the analysis and evaluation of three kinds of typical measures and one regional scale case, this study shows that human-caused aeolian desertified land can be rehabilitated. Although the technologies and management of combating aeolian desertification in an agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China still need further improvement through more experimentation and practical application in the future, the experience gained to date contains important lessons for the recovery of degraded land on a global scale.

. (2015). Allometric biomass equations for shrub and small tree species in subtropical China. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 4 article id 1275. 10 p. Highlights• Diameter (D) and height (H) are strong predictors in species-specific and multispecies models for the aboveground biomass of subtropical shrubs and small trees.• Although wet basic density and crown shape may improve the predictive power of aboveground biomass slightly, the labor intensive measurements for wet basic density and crown shape may be disregarded when a large number of individuals are to be surveyed.• Our results extend the generality of D-H models for aboveground biomass for large trees to subtropical shrubs and small trees. AbstractSpecies-specific allometric equations for shrubs and small trees are relatively scarce, thus limiting the precise quantification of aboveground biomass (AGB) in both shrubby vegetation and forests. Fourteen shrub and small tree species in Eastern China were selected to develop species-specific and multispecies allometric biomass equations. Biometric variables, including the diameter of the longest stem (D), height (H), wet basic density (BD), and crown area and shape were measured for each individual plant. We measured the AGB through a non-destructive method, and validated these measurements using the dry mass of the sampled plant components. The AGB was related to biometric variables using regression analysis. The species-specific allometric models, with D and H as predictors (D-H models) accounted for 70% to 99% of the variation in the AGB of shrubs and small trees. A multispecies allometric D-H model accounted for 71% of the variation in the AGB. Although BD, as an additional predictor, improved the fit of most models, the D-H models were adequate for predicting the AGB for shrubs and small trees in subtropical China without BD data.

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