The Restoration Project of Watershed

The Restoration Project of Watershed

  

Based on multiple aspects including land resources, environment, and social characteristics, the Loess Plateau restoration project focused on “rational land use...; building protective woodlands; increasing commercial fruit tree planting; and animal husbandry.”

By the year of 1950 when the People’s Republic of China was established right a year before, the new Chinese government had organized scientists in groups to commit researches. In 45 years, the area of soil conservation under the management of the Ministry of Water Resources grew 0.5%-1.0% annually. In the years between 1986-1990, the Ministry of Science and Technology Commission and the Chinese Academy of Sciences paid extraordinary attention with specific plans discussed to the area since the region could not afford the burden of the increasing population and the improvement of living standards of local farmers.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences cooperated with government agencies and commissions set up “11 demonstrative watersheds as case studies, demonstration districts...for eco-environmental reclamation.” The effect is obvious. As the picture shows, hills now are covered with green plants in these watershed regions. Trees and grasses are good at maintaining the soil and water near their roots.

New Scene after integrated control in Ansai watershed. Photoed by Liu, Guobin.

This is the typical strategy for the watershed restoration from the Ansai watershed.

1. Build essential grain cropland

2. Restore vegetation

3. Develop cash crops, trees, and shrubs

4. Animal husbandry

Three important stages in this process are initial restoration stage, stable improvement stage, and fine development stage.

At the first stage, the practice is to change the plants distribution and allocation in the place.

The local government with the guidance of scientists will select multiple cash crops, stable and long - living trees and shrubs to plant on the steep sand hills. After a certain periods of time, pasture and woodland will replace the past yellow loess and bring energy back to the region. It is important to note that at this stage, the restoration goes beyond economic values and serves as the major target.

At the second stage, as all different parts such as animal husbandry and crop growing all develop to certain extent, the government will try to integrate those different parts of the system to generate high economic output for the farmers. Once they realize the benefit of the restoration project for the environment and the stable and productive yields, peasants will, in theory, voluntarily protect the ecosystem. Multiple cash crops, at the first stage, are planted in the slope terrace and alter the bad effects that may be caused by monoculture. This process needs 5 to 10 years to be completed.

In the end stage, all parts of the system will mature and be integrated perfectly. Grains are planted according to the space, multiple species are chosen to prevent massive disease, forests grow and animals are supposed to live naturally in the area. Moreover, farmers should not only abandon their old customs and out-dated ideas on agriculture, but also recognized the benefit of the eco-economical farming and educate their children to do so.

Guobin, Liu, Soil Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture on the Loess Plateau: Challenges and Prospects, Ambio, Vol.28, NO.8 Ecosystem Research and Management in China (Dec., 1999), P663-668, published by Springer on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, ISSN 00447447