China's Loess Plateau is both the largest and deepest loess deposit in the world, and it has long been one of the most severely eroded areas on Earth. Since the 1970s, numerous soil- and water-conservation practices have been implemented: terracing, planting of vegetation, natural vegetation rehabilitation, and check-dam construction. With the implementation of the Grain-for-Green Project in 1999, the Loess Plateau has become the most successful ecological restoration zone in China. However, these large-scale restoration measures and drought have significantly reduced both runoff and sediment from the Loess Plateau. This situation has both advantages and disadvantages for the lower Yellow River. Some local soil erosion has been successfully controlled, but the whole regional ecosystem remains very fragile. Therefore, it is necessary to balance each ecosystem service, for example, by determining the region's vegetation capacity and its spatial distribution for the sustainable development of the socioecolog...

Hydrogeomorphic Ecosystem Responses to Natural and Anthropogenic Changes in the Loess Plateau of China

Soil moisture decline due to afforestation across the Loess Plateau, China

Impacts of land use and plant characteristics on dried soil layers in different climatic regions on the Loess Plateau of China

The Loess Plateau, China, has long been suffering from serious soil erosion. About 2000 years ago, larger areas were used for grain production and soil erosion was thus becoming severe with increase in human activity. Severe soil and water loss led to widespread land degradation. During the past decades, great efforts were made in vegetation restoration to reduce soil erosion. However, the efficiency of vegetation restoration was not as satisfactory as expected due to water shortage. China initiated another state-funded scheme, the 'Grain-for-Green' project in 1999, on the Loess Plateau to reduce soil erosion and improve land quality. However, the control of soil erosion effectively by land-use modification raised problems. In this paper, the lessons and experiences regarding soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau in the past decades are analysed first. Urgent problems are then elaborated, such as the contradiction between land resource and human population, shortage of water both in amount and tempospatial distribution for vegetation growth, weak awareness of the problems of soil conservation by local officials, and poor public participation in soil and water conservation. Finally, suggestions regarding soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau are given. In order to control soil erosion and improve vegetation, a scientific and detailed land-use plan for the Loess Plateau has to be made, in the first instance, and then planning for wise use of water resources should be undertaken to control mass movement effectively and to improve land productivity. Methods of improving public awareness of environmental conservation and public involvement in vegetation rehabilitation are also important.

Soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau in China: review and perspective:

[1] To control the severe soil erosion in the Loess Plateau, China, a great number of soil conservation measures including terracing, afforestation, and construction of sediment-trapping dams have been implemented since the 1950s. These measures have resulted in large-scale land use and land cover change. It is important to evaluate the impacts of these soil conservation measures on streamflow as streamflow is an important determinant on catchment sediment yield and obviously is related to water security in the region. In this study, data from 11 catchments in the Loess Plateau were analyzed to investigate the responses of streamflow to the land use/cover changes. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt test were used to identify trends and change points in the streamflow records. All 11 catchments had significant negative trend in annual streamflow of −0.13 to −1.58 mm a−1. Change points in streamflow occurred between 1971 and 1985. A method was employed to evaluate the impacts of climate variability and land use/cover changes on mean annual streamflow on the basis of precipitation and potential evaporation. It was estimated that the land use/cover changes accounted for over 50% of the reduction in mean annual streamflow in 8 out of the 11 catchments. However, climate (i.e., precipitation and potential evaporation) played a more important role in reducing the streamflow in the three remaining catchments. Among the soil conservation measures, construction of sediment-trapping dams and reservoirs, with associated irrigation water extractions from the latter, appeared to be the main cause of the reduced streamflow.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2007WR006711

Hui Shi

Papers

Soil and water loss from the Loess Plateau in China