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Evaluating the coupling effects of climate variability and vegetation restoration on ecosystems of the Loess Plateau, China

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  • Jiang, Chong
  • Zhang, Haiyan
  • Tang, Zhipeng
  • Labzovskii, Lev

Abstract

Restoring disturbed and over-exploited ecosystems is an important part of mitigating human pressures on natural ecosystems. An ambitious ecological restoration program, the Grain for Green Program (GFGP), was launched in 1999 in China. We selected the Loess Plateau (LP) as a case study, and evaluated ecosystem changes between 2000 and 2012 using biophysical models, observation records, and literature data. It was observed that both the warming and wetting of climate and the ecological program promoted vegetation growth and biomass production (i.e., carbon sequestration). Overall ecosystem patterns were relatively stable; grassland, residential land, and forest increased in area, while farmland area decreased slightly. Increasing precipitation throughout the study period was related to fluctuations in soil retention and hydrological regulation. Vegetation restoration induced by climate variability and the ecological program played a significant role in soil retention enhancement, which also substantially reduced sediment load. The land-use conversion in ecological restoration program promoted soil carbon sequestration, but featured differences in conversion types and rainfall zones. The ecosystem changes recorded in the LP, which resulted from both the ecological program and climate variability, might be temporary improvements rather than fundamental ecosystem shifts. The success of this ecological restoration in the LP exemplifies the positive effects of environmental policies and the necessity of adopting an adaptive management approach. However, the current assessment was not comprehensive, as it involved only three dominant regulating services, and there were still trade-offs among multiple ecosystem services. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the interactions and trade-offs among ecosystem services is required to explore in the context of emerging climate change, so as to support environmental management that maximizes ecosystem benefits to human well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiang, Chong & Zhang, Haiyan & Tang, Zhipeng & Labzovskii, Lev, 2017. "Evaluating the coupling effects of climate variability and vegetation restoration on ecosystems of the Loess Plateau, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 134-148.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:69:y:2017:i:c:p:134-148
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.08.019
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. de Groot, Rudolf S. & Wilson, Matthew A. & Boumans, Roelof M. J., 2002. "A typology for the classification, description and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 393-408, June.
    2. Chen, Aifang & Li, Ruiyun & Wang, Honglin & He, Bin, 2015. "Quantitative assessment of human appropriation of aboveground net primary production in China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 312(C), pages 54-60.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Duanyang & Li, Dajing, 2020. "Variation of wind erosion and its response to ecological programs in northern China in the period 1981–2015," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    2. Wu, Xutong & Wang, Shuai & Fu, Bojie & Liu, Yu & Zhu, Yuan, 2018. "Land use optimization based on ecosystem service assessment: A case study in the Yanhe watershed," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 303-312.
    3. Hongfei Zhao & Hongming He & Jingjing Wang & Chunyu Bai & Chuangjuan Zhang, 2018. "Vegetation Restoration and Its Environmental Effects on the Loess Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-17, December.

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