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  • © 2014

Restoration and Development of the Degraded Loess Plateau, China

  • First comprehensive book on the development of the Loess Plateau, China
  • Presents state-of-the-art scientific evidence and technological innovations to restore degraded land
  • Provides case studies of successes and failures in combatting desertification

Part of the book series: Ecological Research Monographs (ECOLOGICAL)

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Table of contents (19 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xviii
  2. Nature of the Loess Plateau

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Location, Geology and Landforms of the Loess Plateau

      • Mei-Jie Yan, Qiu-Yue He, Norikazu Yamanaka, Sheng Du
      Pages 3-21
    3. Climate of the Loess Plateau

      • Reiji Kimura, Naru Takayama
      Pages 23-33
    4. Soils on the Loess Plateau

      • Sadahiro Yamamoto, Tsuneyoshi Endo
      Pages 35-47
    5. Vegetation of the Loess Plateau

      • Norikazu Yamanaka, Qing-Chun Hou, Sheng Du
      Pages 49-60
    6. Agriculture on the Loess Plateau

      • Ping An, Tomoe Inoue, Mingqing Zheng, A. Egrinya Eneji, Shinobu Inanaga
      Pages 61-74
  3. Desertification of the Loess Plateau

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 75-75
    2. Soil Erosion in the Loess Plateau Region of China

      • Fenli Zheng, Bin Wang
      Pages 77-92
    3. Irrigated Agriculture and Salinization

      • Katsuyuki Shimizu, Shen-Li Yang, Yoshinobu Kitamura
      Pages 93-110
    4. Land Use Change and Deforestation on the Loess Plateau

      • Jing-Feng He, Jin-Hong Guan, Wen-Hui Zhang
      Pages 111-120
  4. Countermeasures for Combating Desertification

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 121-121
    2. Comprehensive Chinese Government Policies to Combat Desertification

      • Zhan-Bin Li, Peng Li, Ping-Ping Huang, Xiao-Jun Liu
      Pages 123-135
    3. Grain-for-Green Policy and Its Achievements

      • Ji-Jun Wang, Zhi-De Jiang, Zi-Lan Xia
      Pages 137-147
  5. Development of Technology to Combat Desertification

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173
    2. Monitoring Regional Desertification

      • Reiji Kimura
      Pages 175-182
    3. Secondary Salinization and Its Countermeasures

      • Yoshinobu Kitamura, Sheng-Li Yang, Katsuyuki Shimizu
      Pages 199-213

About this book

This book presents state-of-the-art scientific evidence and technological innovations to restore lands on the Loess Plateau of China, known worldwide for its serious land degradation and desertification problems. Supported by a rapidly developing Chinese economy and the dissemination of effective technology, the Grain-for-Green Project and Western Development Action launched by the Chinese government have resulted in successful ecological restoration and protection over the past 30 years. These programs have contributed not only to conservation of soil and water, but also to economic development. At the same time, however, these developmental interventions have brought new challenges that have not yet been fully addressed. The book describes (1) case studies of success and failure in practice, including rare success stories of combating desertification; (2) technical issues such as erosion control and breeding of stress-tolerant plant species, and socioeconomic measures taken by the Chinese government and lending policies with support from the World Bank; and (3) comprehensive measures against desertification, such as water and wind erosion, salinization, and deforestation. This volume is recommended for researchers and students above the undergraduate level in diverse fields including soil science, rural engineering, social technology and civil engineering, biology, ecology, climatology, physical and human geography, and developmental economics, among others. It also serves as a valuable resource for engineers, government officials, and NPOs and NGOs involved in afforestation, ecological restoration, combating desertification, disaster prevention, and sustainable rural development.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan

    Atsushi Tsunekawa, Norikazu Yamanaka

  • Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China, People's Republic

    Guobin Liu, Sheng Du

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access