Desertification in North China

Arid and semi-arid regions occupy nearly half the area of China, where there are abundant natural resources and a great potential for development. However, these regions have been seriously troubled by sandy desertification which has become an important restricting factor for local development. On the basis of research and practice over many years, we believe that sandy desertification is environmental degradation indicated by wind erosion resulting from excessive human activities. The degraded land is desertified land. Between the important human and natural contributing factors, the former is the more crucial. The evolution of sandy desertification depends on the process of wind erosion after the ecosystem has been destroyed by humans, and its indicator is mainly presented by wind-erosion landforms. Sandy desertification leads to a rapid decline in the biomass production and the potential productivity of land, and even loss of land resources. The trend of sandy desertification will depend fundamentally on the human impact in coming decades. A number of typical examples have proved that the desertified land can be restored to its potential productivity for agriculture and animal husbandry through different harnessing measures.