Authors:

Zhu Tingyao, Kong Fanzhi, Zhu Jinwei and Peng Ruilin (Shenyang Institute of Applied Ecology, Academia Sinica)

Title:

Meteorological effect of grazing forest in the grassland experiment station of Baiyintala region

Publisher:

Acta Ecological Sinica. 11(1):1-6

Date:

1991

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6Ed

Region:

Inner Mongolia, China

Summary:

Increased densities (i.e. from 1.1-2 percent to 9.6 percent) in artificial grazing forest leads to a decrease, from 88 percent to 62 percent, in relative wind speed. The natural grazing forest with densities of 19 percent and mean heights of 7 m has relative wind speeds of 62 percent compared to open areas and the forest with densities of 59 percent and 9 m of mean height registers only 22 percent in wind speed. The results of modeling experiments of grazing forest in a wind tunnel indicate that if the closeness of the grazing forest is three percent, six percent and 25 percent, the relative wind speed would be 64 percent, 60 percent and 45 percent, respectively. This means that wind speed within the forest will be reduced as the closeness of the forest increases. In addition, an increase in the closeness of the forest will increase the roughness of woodland from 1/20 to 1/70 of the height of the forest stand. In the grazing forest, as compared with open wildness, evaporation was reduced by 12-20 percent, while transpiration was increased by 7.3 percent.

Authors:

Zhu Zhenda and Wang Tao (Institute Of Desert Research, Cas, Lanzhou)

Title:

An analysis of trends in land desertification in northern China during the last decade based on examples from some typical areas

Publisher:

Acta Geographical Sinica. 45(4)

Date:

1990

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

1, 2Cd, 2Ea, 6Ce

Region:

Northern China

Summary:

Desertification is the impoverishment of terrestrial ecosystems due to human impact. Land degradation due to poor management has long plagued North China. From 1950s to the middle of 1970s, the area of degraded land expanded an average of 1560 km² annually and during the last decade increased to 2100 km² in northern China. Total area of degraded land is approximately 197 000 km². Desertification is very serious in exploited sandy steppe areas and near coal mines A number of measures for land conservation have proven feasible and effective in controlling the process of desertification and the productive potential of cultivated land and pasture has been gradually restored.

Authors:

Zhu Zhenda, Liu Shu and Di Xingmin (Institute of Desert Research, Academia Sinica, Lanzhou)

Title:

Desertification and rehabilitation in China

Publisher:

Science Press, Beijing, 126PP (pages), 84 photos, 77 figures and 49 tables

Date:

1989

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B,

Available:

Chinese National Library, Beijing

Region:

North China

Summary:

This book describes in detail the occurrence, development and rehabilitation of desertificated land. The following points are emphasized. Desertification is a process of degradation in environments similar to that of deserts, consisting of blown undulating sand sheets and mobile dunes, which occurs when fragile ecosystems such as those with loose sandy surfaces in arid, semi-arid and parts of sub-humid zones, are exposed to drought and frequent wind. Desertification causes desert-like landscapes in aboriginal non-desert territory. This process causes decline in biomass productivity and reduces arable land resources. Since Desertification is an ecological issue and an environmental problem, studies should deal with the process systematically and as a whole, including historical and modern processes and physical and rehabilitation process of desertification. Desertification-prone land covers 334 000 km² the decertified land area is 176 000 km² and that at risk of Desertification is 158 000 km². Environmental changes caused by Desertification manifest in the occurrence and growth of desert-like environments and landscapes. From aerial-survey topographic maps, desertification prone land has increased by 390 000 km² between 1950-1970. The rehabilitation of desertificated land and desertification-prone areas should focus on the rational development of resources.

Authors:

Zou Xueyong and Wang Guiyong (Institute of Desert Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000)

Title:

A study of desertification since late Holocene in Maqu area, upstream of Huang He River

Publisher:

Journal of Desert Research. 15(1):65-70

Date:

1995

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2Cc, 3C, 4Aa

Region:

North China

Summary:

In Maqu area, the main cause of desertification is climatic change. According to field work and 14C dating, desertification in the area experienced four periods: 2 600-1 900 a B.P., 1 900-750 a B. P., 750-220 a B.P. and 220 a B.P. Only in the period 220 a B.P. to the present has the desertification process been influenced by both climatic change and human activities. Desertification processes in this area are consistent with Chinese climatic change and desertification processes in Genghe basin. With prolonged deflation, minerals steadily accumulate and sand becomes well-sorted; the aeolian sand comes mainly from deposits of the Huana He River.

Authors:

Zuo Kecheng, Cheng Dazhi, Bao Xinkui and Chang Shumei (Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Academia Sinica)

Title:

A preliminary report on the transformation of the plateau desert ecosystem on Xianaride Farm, Qaidam Basin

Publisher:

Acta Ecological Sinica. 3(3):205-213

Date:

1983

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6Ce

Region:

Qinghai, China

Summary:

This paper presents the possibility of transforming and improving the desert ecosystem of the Qing Zang (Tibet) plateau into an agricultural ecosystem based on practical experiences at Xingride Farm, even though the former appears to be simple in structure, low in function and weak in ecosystem balance. Xingride Farm is situated in the southeastern Qaidam basin. There are sufficient water sources nearby and intense solar radiation beneficial to plant growth; the area experiences a windy cold arid climate and low soil fertility. Initially an irrigation system was developed to meet plant water requirements. Over a ten-year period shelterbelts and wind-protection vegetation was established to cover 13.4 percent of the cropland area. The micro climate of fields was improved and wind damage greatly reduced. Salt soil was improved, along with the fertility of other lands through crop rotation systems. The total crop yield gained by the farm in 1978 increased 12 percent compared with that of 1965. Average grain yields of 3 097 kg/ha represented a 34.7 percent increase over 1965 and was twice as much as that in 1956. The highest average grain yield of wheat for spring reached up to 15 195 kg/ha in an experimental plot covering an area of 0.21 ha in 1978. In recent years, the crop yields have been gradually higher and more stable. And at the same time, animal husbandry, profitable forests and forest by-products have also been developed. This provides preliminary indications that transformation and improvement of desert grassland ecosystems are possible.

Title:

Comprehensive evaluation of site quality of Mu Us Sandy Land-site classification and evaluation

Publisher:

Scientia Silvae Sinicae. 29(5):393-400

Date:

1993

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2B, 6Ee

Region:

Mu Us, China

Summary:

The main factors that influence evaluation of site quality include flow degree, position and size of sand-hills and non-site factors such as age, density and cutting. Above ground biomass is used as an index for evaluating site quality of shrub forest. A mathematical model is established by converting qualitative data to quantitative data to provide the independent variables; biomass data is the dependent variable. Quantitative tables for nine shrub species are obtained: Caragana intermediate, C korshinskii, Hedysarum scoparium, H. laeve, Salix psammophila, Amorpha fruticosa, Hippophae rhamnoides, Artemisias phaerocephala, A. ordosica. On the bases of these tables, the biomass of various shrubs growing in the same type of area can be evaluated; shrub species can then be matched to suitable sites. The crown breadth and height of shrubs reflect the biomass yield above ground. A multiple regression mathematical model can be established, which provides a simple method for evaluating the shrub biomass in forestland.

1

Natural resources and the human environment for food and agriculture, 1980 (E F S)

2

Environmental impact assessment and agricultural development, 1982 (E F S)

3

Management and utilization of mangroves in Asia and the Pacific, 1982 (E)

4

Mangrove management in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, 1985 (E F S)

5

Rural energy planning in China and other developing countries of Asia, 1985 (E)

6

Natural resources and the human environment for food and agriculture in Africa, 1986 (E F)

7

Report on natural resources for food and agriculture in the Asia and Pacific Region, 1986 (E)

8

Report on natural resources for food and agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1986 (E S)

9

Environmental guidelines for resettlement projects in the humid tropics, 1988 (E F S)

10

Solar drying of fish and paddy, 1989 (E)

11

The briquetting of agricultural wastes for fuel, 1990 (E)

12

A new approach to energy planning for sustainable rural development, 1990 (E)

13

Bioenergy for development - Technical and environmental dimensions, 1994 (E)

14

Drylands development and combating desertification - Bibliographic study of experiences in countries of the CIS, 1995 (E F)

15

Drylands development and combating desertification - Bibliographic study of experiences in China, 1997 (E)

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- Arabic

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- Chinese

E

- English

F

- French

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- Portuguese

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- Multilingual

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