Environmental Studies and Forestry

Unintended consequences of combating desertification in China

X. Wang, Q. Ge, et al.

Discover the profound impacts of China's 'grain-for-green' practices on desertification and vegetation cover rehabilitation. This research, conducted by Xunming Wang and colleagues, reveals the critical influences of climate change and economic factors on environmental efforts.

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Abstract

Since the early 2000s, China has implemented extensive "grain-for-green" and grazing exclusion practices to combat desertification. This study quantifies the changes in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) and compares them with economic and population data. Results show that climate change and CO2 fertilization are major drivers of vegetation rehabilitation, while the decline in farmers' and herders' incomes exceeds government subsidies. The study concludes that China needs to adapt its environmental programs to address economic hardship, enhance food security, and improve the return on policy investments.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Feb 28, 2023

Authors

Xunming Wang, Quansheng Ge, Xin Geng, Zhaosheng Wang, Lei Gao, Brett A. Bryan, Shengqian Chen, Yanan Su, Diwen Cai, Jiansheng Ye, Jimin Sun, Huayu Lu, Huizheng Che, Hong Cheng, Hongyan Liu, Baoli Liu, Zhibao Dong, Shixiong Cao, Ting Hua, Siyu Chen, Fubao Sun, Geping Luo, Zhenting Wang, Shi Hu, Duanyang Xu, Mingxing Chen, Danfeng Li, Fa Liu, Xinliang Xu, Dongmei Han, Yang Zheng, Feiyan Xiao, Xiaobin Li, Ping Wang, Fahu Chen

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