How was Loess Plateau restored?

In the Loess Plateau, funding from the World Bank and the Chinese government helped restore 4 million hectares of land, more than doubling the incomes of local farmers, reducing erosion by 100 million tons of sediment annually, reducing flood risk, and dramatically increasing grain production.

What is being done at the Loess Plateau?

The loess is highly subject to erosion because of sparse vegetation, heavy precipitation in summer, and gullying. The government has conducted programs to control erosion through afforestation and terracing on an extensive scale to permit better agricultural use of the land. Grain is the major crop on the plateau.

What is the cause of the desertification of Loess Plateau?

In sandy and windblown areas, the soil easily erodes and loses many of its functions if it is deforested. This is precisely what happened in the Loess Plateau, where vegetation cover was reduced over centuries from grazing animals or agriculture, says Voegele.

What were some of the things that caused the change in the Loess Plateau?

The population in the Loess Plateau has increased rapidly. There are many agricultural activities. Intensive farming activities led to soil erosion, landslides, and debris flow. Also, because of the crustal uplifting, the loess platform and ridges which were depositional environments, turn into erosional environments.

What is Loess Plateau restoration?

Loess Plateau: from degradation to restoration United Nations established 2021-2030 as the decade for ecosystem restoration and “prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide”. Ecosystem and land degradation are a global phenomenon. As a consequence of land degradation, in the late 1990s, the “Grain for Green Program” (GFGP) …

What are the challenges of the Loess Plateau?

By the 20th century, the Loess Plateau faced similar challenges. The soil of the plateau was sensitive to the changes caused by human activity. In sandy and windblown areas, the soil easily erodes and loses many of its functions if it is deforested.

What is the land cover of the Loess Plateau?

Forest, grassland, and farmland were the main land cover types in the Loess Plateau. During this period, the land cover change occurred mainly in the middle and the southern parts of the plateau. This change was characterized by a decreasing farmland and water bodies and by an increase of vegetation cover and built-up areas.

What is the average annual rainfall in the Loess Plateau?

The loess plateau comprises a mix of arid, semi-arid and semi-humid areas, and most of the plateau is in a semi-arid zone in terms of an aridity index. The average annual rainfall is approximately 400 mm. It has both the deepest and largest loess deposit region in the world.