Assessment of potential land degradation and recommendations for management in the south subtropical region, Southwest China

Abstract

Land degradation is a global environmental problem that has received a great deal of attention. Moreover, the current methods used to evaluate land degradation concentrate mostly on point and management levels, while information at the regional scale is lacking. This study aimed to assess potential land degradation at a regional scale by adapting the Mediterranean desertification and land use approach for a subtropical region with a geographic information system (GIS), developing a degradation assessment model that recognizes environmentally sensitive areas and analyzing potential land degradation for natural and anthropogenic factors. The selected indicators included vegetation, soil, climate, and human pressure, and these four indicators contained 15 indices that were input by layers from GIS data. The results showed that 89.32% of the study area was affected by land degradation, with more than half of this region in the moderate risk class for land degradation. At the city scale, Nanning had the largest percentage of land in the critical class, followed by the cities of Chongzuo and Qinzhou. Climate and human pressure were the predominant indicators, with the highest mean scores of 1.46 and 1.45, respectively. This study offers significant information for decision makers evaluating potential land degradation. The goal of land management is to solve conflicts between humans and land, and management measures consider local conditions. The assessment model provides a basis for effective management measures and decision making for land degradation prevention. Developing this approach is significant in terms of extending degradation assessment to a larger scale.

Use of historical and contemporary distribution of mammals in China to inform conservation

“…Although logging has been illegal since 1990 (Brandt et al., 2015) and deforestation for monoculture plantations of rubber trees has been slowed, recent studies indicate that the most significant pressures on biodiversity in this area are still from anthropogenic activities. They include local livelihood activities, agricultural expansion, livestock grazing, fuelwood collection, harvest of timber for construction (Xu & Wilkes, 2004), potential land degradation (Han et al., 2019), road construction, and tourism disturbance (Wei et al., 2018).…”

Supporting SDG 15, Life on Land: Identifying the Main Drivers of Land Degradation in Honghe Prefecture, China, between 2005 and 2015

“…Comparing the land degradation results is difficult due to the different methods and evaluative indicators employed and the lack of uniform standards [63]. The guidance provided by UNCCD and the SDG implementation of Trends.Earth are conducive to the unification of methods and parameters among different countries and regions.…”

Retardation Characteristics of Metal Mine Paste Filling Materials Based on Blockchain Technology and Farmland Ecological Protection

“…At the same time, the quality of its ecological restoration is related to the success or failure of the ecological restoration of the entire mine [23]. Switzerland, France, the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries have carried out research work on the ecological restoration of rock slopes relatively early, and have formed ecological restoration methods and concepts suitable for their own countries, and achieved good ecological restoration effects [24]. The above research can provide reference for the ecological restoration of the slope surface of the stone mining site after the pit is closed.…”