Quantifying the Effects of Vegetation Restorations on the Soil Erosion Export and Nutrient Loss on the Loess Plateau

Jing, Zhao; Feng, Xiaoming; Deng, Lei; Yang, Yanzheng; Zhong, Zhao; Zhao, Pengxiang; Peng, Changhui; Fu, Bojie

doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.573126

Cited by 32 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…From the spatial regression model, we found that the value of ecosystem services is affected by its grid cell elements but also by neighboring grid cells or more distant grid cell elements. This means that the concentration of population and economy does not automatically lead to the degradation of ecological services [ 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Human Activities on Ecosystem Service Value in Arid and Semi-Arid Ecological Regions of China

Fan

Tiando

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The quantitative and spatial–temporal variations in the characteristics of ecosystem value can be helpful to improve environmental protection and climate adaptation measures and adjust the balance between economic development and the ecological environment. The arid and semi-arid regions of China are undergoing the effects of climate change across the entire northern hemisphere. Their ecological environments are fragile and in conflict with anthropogenic activities, which significantly altered more ecosystems services in these regions. Therefore, estimating the effects of anthropogenic activities on ecosystem services is important for formulating ecological policy and regional environmental mitigation plans of these regions. This study employed the model of ecosystem service value (ESV) assessment and the bivariate spatial autocorrelation method to reveal the spatiotemporal variations in the characteristics of ecosystem value in the arid and semi-arid ecological regions of China and its interaction with human activities. Results showed that (1) the total value of ES of the study area increased from USD 487,807 billion in 2000 to USD 67,831,150 billion 2020; (2) the ES value provided by forest land first increased by 5.60% from 2000 to 2020; (3) the ESV provided by grassland showed an overall decline over the 20 years. Food and raw material production showed the lowest ES value, and climate regulation and soil conservation decreased from 2000 to 2020; (4) the index of human footprint patches decreased from 45.80% in 2000 to 17.63% in 2020, while the high and very high human footprint index areas increased significantly, mainly due to the rapid urbanization and improvement of railway networks in these areas. Spatially, the regions with high human footprint were mostly dispersed in the northeastern of China such as Shanxi and Gansu, whereas the regions with a low human footprint remained mainly located in the central and southwestern parts of China; (5) significant spatial dependencies between changes in ESV and the human footprint index were recorded. Our study could provide a scientific basis for ecosystem functions regulation and land development security in arid and semi-arid ecological regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Human Activities on Ecosystem Service Value in Arid and Semi-Arid Ecological Regions of China

Fan

Tiando

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…In particular, the rapid economic development in Northwest China has led to substantial imbalances between the natural environment and industrial development. The Loess Plateau, mainly located in the middle reach of the Yellow River, is considered as one of the regions with the most severely eroded areas in the world, and the soil loss has significantly impacted nutrient losses (Zhao et al 2020a). Further, the Yellow River is facing the problem of water quality deterioration with the rapid development of the social economy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal features of pollutant loads in the Yan River Basin, a typical loess hilly and gully watershed in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Song

Sun³

et al. 2022

Geosci. Lett.

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Water quality is the restrictive factor for both ecosystem health and social development in the Chinese Loess Plateau, a unique area with most severe soil erosion, fragile ecology, and water shortage. Understanding the characteristics of the pollutant loads is of vital importance for the sustainability of eco-environment in the Loess Plateau. This study investigated the spatiotemporal changes of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) loads by combining the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and regression model Load Estimator (LOADEST) in a typical loess hilly and gully watershed—the Yan River Basin (YanRB). Results showed that the model simulations of monthly streamflow and pollutant loads were in good agreement with those derived from the in situ observations. The temporal variation analysis suggested that the pollutant loads were generally rising in the study period (2001–2018) at four of the five stations and reached the maximum in 2014, and the multi-year (i.e., 2001–2018 with 2013 being excluded due to extreme rainfall) average loads of COD, TN, and TP at the Tanjiahe station, which is close to the outlet of the basin, were 15,021 kg/day, 3835 kg/day, and 168 kg/day, respectively. The spatial distribution of the TN and TP loads along the river seemed to be quite unique because the TP level were obviously higher at the midstream (e.g., Zhujiagou and Ganguyi) than the downstream (e.g., Tanjiahe), and the TN level decreased when the river flowed from Zhujiagou to Ganguyi. Further, the seasonal analysis indicated that the nutrient loads were the highest in summer, followed by autumn, and the loads in these two seasons contributed the most of the annual pollution loads—about 76% and 84% for TN and TP, respectively, indicating the higher flow, the higher pollution load, a similar point based on the inter-annual analysis. In addition, the contribution analysis of point source and non-point source pollutions demonstrated that NPS led to most of the pollutant loads at the whole watershed—70%, 67%, and 71% of the COD, TN, and TP loads, respectively. Overall, this study provided spatiotemporal distributions of the key pollutant loads in the YanRB and can be valuable for water quality protection and pollution control in this area.

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“…To effectively control soil erosion and ecological degradation, the Chinese government implemented the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) since 1999 to return farmland with slopes of 25° or more to perennial vegetation [ 2 , 17 , 18 ]. Vegetation restoration triggered by the “GGP” is an effective approach to ecological construction and soil erosion control in the western region of China [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Since the implementation of the “GGP”, the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau has been greatly changed by large-scale vegetation restoration [ 2 , 9 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vegetation restoration triggered by the “GGP” is an effective approach to ecological construction and soil erosion control in the western region of China [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Since the implementation of the “GGP”, the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau has been greatly changed by large-scale vegetation restoration [ 2 , 9 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. The United Nations General Assembly announced the “United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 (UNDER)” on 1 March 2019, a movement aimed to expand the restoration of degraded and damaged ecosystems as an effective measure to address the climate crisis and enhance food security, water resources, and biodiversity [ 1 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

Wei

Zhao

Wang

2021

IJERPH

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Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and vegetation construction. Taking the Ansai Watershed as the case area, this study calculated the soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration, using the Chinese Soil Loess Equation (CSLE), based on rainfall and soil data, remote sensing images and socio-economic data. The effect of vegetation restoration on soil erosion was evaluated by comparing the average annual soil erosion modulus under two scenarios among 16 years. The results showed: (1) vegetation restoration significantly changed the local land use, characterized by the conversion of farmland to grassland, arboreal land, and shrub land. From 2000 to 2015, the area of arboreal land, shrub land, and grassland increased from 19.46 km2, 19.43 km2, and 719.49 km2 to 99.26 km2, 75.97 km2, and 1084.24 km2; while the farmland area decreased from 547.90 km2 to 34.35 km2; (2) the average annual soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration was 114.44 t/(hm²·a) and 78.42 t/(hm²·a), respectively, with an average annual reduction of 4.81 × 106 t of soil erosion amount thanks to the vegetation restoration; (3) the dominant soil erosion intensity changed from “severe and light erosion” to “moderate and light erosion”, vegetation restoration greatly improved the soil erosion environment in the study area; (4) areas with increased erosion and decreased erosion were alternately distributed, accounting for 48% and 52% of the total land area, and mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the watershed, respectively. Irrational land use changes in local areas (such as the conversion of farmland and grassland into construction land, etc.) and the ineffective implementation of vegetation restoration are the main reasons leading to the existence of areas with increased erosion.

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Quantifying the Effects of Vegetation Restorations on the Soil Erosion Export and Nutrient Loss on the Loess Plateau

Cited by 32 publications

References 80 publications

Impacts of Human Activities on Ecosystem Service Value in Arid and Semi-Arid Ecological Regions of China

Impacts of Human Activities on Ecosystem Service Value in Arid and Semi-Arid Ecological Regions of China

Spatiotemporal features of pollutant loads in the Yan River Basin, a typical loess hilly and gully watershed in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

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