Analysis on Countermeasures of Water and Soil Conservation and Eco-environment Construction in China

Xingping FENG

Institute of Soil and Water Conservation,Northwest A&F University,Soil and Water Conservation Ecological Engineering Technology Research Center,Yangling 712100,China

Responsible editor:Xiaoxue WANG Responsible proofreader:Xiaoyan WU

After the task of constructing ecological civilization proposed in Report of the 18thNational Congress of the CPC,eco-construction of water and soil conservation is confronted by new development opportunities and challenges.Ecological civilization is a civilization form relying on,utilizing and protecting nature,guided by the principle of harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature,comprehensive development and continuous prosperity.Water and soil conservation,for example,advances the virtuous circle of eco-environment and rural development,while presenting beautiful mountains and rivers,for water and soil erosion can be prevented and controlled to certain extend by eco-environment construction,improving regional environment and stimulating agriculture.Currently,water and soil erosion has become a key environmental problem in China and only by emphasizing and intensifying water and soil conservation,accelerating prevention process of erosion,facilitating ecological civilization construction could the targets of ecological civilization be implemented[1-3].Hence,how to well recognize and grasp the role of water and soil conservation in construction of eco-environment constitutes crucial for speeding up comprehensive treatment of water and soil and creating a new trend of ecological environment construction.As economy evolves and social advances,however,ecological problems are deteriorating.With progress made on eco-environment construction and soil conservation,China is one of countries the most severely damaged by water and soil erosion,and the essence of water and soil erosion is far from basically resolved.Consequently,water and soil conservation in China faces huge challenges.

Status quo of Water and Soil Erosion

Water is the source of life and soil lays foundation for living.Hence,without soil and water,people would lose the base for existence,let alone development or sustainable development.With population increasing and social and economy advancement,more and more attention is paid to protecting and rational using of water and soil resources,worldwide.In mountains,hills or windy desert areas,because of ill natural factors or irrational human activities,water and soils would be removed from one location and transported to another location,followed by deposition,which is called water and soil erosion.At present,water and soil erosion has become a global issue,whose destruction is destructive and irreversible.What’s worse,it will never draw attention until serious enough.Globally,70% countries and regions are suffering water and soil erosion and desertification.The surface area of Earth is 510 million km2,of which about 3/10 is covered by ground,totaling 149 million km2,and until recently,water-toground proportion of Earth just maintains stable.Global water and soil erosion reaches 30% presently,and 25 billion ton surface fertile soils are washed away yearly,suggesting 5-7 million hm2far mlands loss every year.So given enough time,the lost farmlands every two decades are equal to the area of all farmlands in India.In new century,as modernization speeds up,conflicts among population,resource and environment are increasingly prominent[4-5].In China,water and soil erosion is also much serious.For example,the erosion area reaches 3.569 2 million km2,taking up to 38.2%of national lands.It is notable that it is gullying that destroys ground integrity.Water and soil erosion poses threats to towns,transportation,mining facilities,as well as production,life and properties.In steep valleys or high mountains,in particular,landslide and debris flow possibly occur due to hydraulic action and gravity.In the Loess Plateau,water and soil erosion area is as extensive as 454 000 km2,accounting for 71%of the Plateau,and perennial sands transported to the Yellow River are as high as 1.56 billion ton,raising downstream river channel by 10 cm every year.Hence,the Loess Plateau reaches the most extensive in erosion area,the highest in erosion strength and the most in loss,covering erosion by water of 337 000 km2and by wind of 117 000 km2.Furthermore,the area with annual soil erosion modulus over 1000 t/km2is about 292 000,representing 46.0% of the Plateau;the area with erosion modulus over 5 000 t/km2totals 166 000 km2,accounting for 26.0% ; the area with erosion modulus over 10 000 t/km2reaches 76 300 km2,representing 11.9%; the area with erosion modulus over 15 000 t/km2totals 40 300 km2,accounting for 6.29%(Table1).In most areas of the Plateau,gully heads averagely move 3 m yearly,dividing grounds,and it can be observed from planes that most grounds have become gullies.Consequently,nearly 2 million km2lands are urgent for treatment.

Interrelation between Water and Soil Conservation and Eco-environment

The core of constructing ecological civilization is to establish a harmony,equal,coexistence and co-prosperity relationship between human and nature and the essence is to build a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society oriented by sustainable development,on basis of environment carrying capacity and natural rules.At present,water and soil erosion exists over 1/3 national lands and it can be concluded that water and soil conservation is an important content of sustainable development as well as a part of ecological construction,which obviously shoulders the responsibility of constructing ecological civilization[6-7].With economy advancement,environment and development have become a theme of the world,drawing more and more attention.Meanwhile,in constructing economy in China,environment protection becomes a basic state policy and it is emphasized that protection of eco-environment is necessaary at developing and exploiting resources.Water and soil erosion is a first problem to be resolved,which suggests deteriorating eco-environment of China,and constitutes the fundamental cause of poverty,and coordination of human,environment,and development becomes crucial,especially for adjustment of economic development model[8-9].Considering from the essence of water and soil conservation,it is a part of water conservancy construction.Water and soil conservation and eco-environment construction is always a basic state policy,of which water and soil conservation lays foundation for construction of eco-environment(Fig.1).

The content of ecological civilization is abundant.As for the concept,it mainly includes eco-consciousness civilization,eco-system civilization and eco-action civilization.Specifically,ecological civilization is an achievement concluded by profound reflection of human on civilization forms,especially for industrial civilization,which gives emphasis on respecting and maintaining nature.Water and soil are crucial abiotic factors of natural ecosystem,and water and soil conservation is key for human and nature harmony,undertaking the responsibility of improving eco-environment,production condition and living status,with huge economic,social and ecological benefits[10].According to Announcement on Water and Soil Conservation by the State Council,water and soil conservation is a lifeline for development of mountainous regions,laying foundation for national territorial man-agement,and river treatments,should be always insisted on for national economy and society development.In addition to that,the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council on Accelerating Water Conservancy Development determined the position and role of water and soil conservation in the background of new circumstances,and proposed that water conservation is indispensable for modern agriculture,supporting social and economic evolvement and a guarantee system for improving ecosystem.In general,water and soil conservation is a systematic project,and an integration consisting of sub-systems with specific structures and functions,laying foundation for national economy and social development should be always stuck to.

Table1 The area of soil erosion in different provinces or cities in the Loess Plateau

Promoting of ecological civilization on water and soil conservation

Water is the source of all things.It is indispensable resource for natural ecology development,and basis of social sustainable development.Without water,living beings are dying.In contrast,soils are basic carriers for nature and human beings,which are also crucial for living beings.Hence,water and soils lay foundation for natural environment and social evolvement,collectively[11].To treat water and soil erosion and construct ecological civilization,the source should be treated and controlled to overcome disadvantages of industrial civilization,and a systematic research can be carried out in terms of recognition,thoughts,strategy,and measures,instead of rigidly adhering to traditional ways[12].Water conservation and environment protection play a key role in economic development,and water conservation individually influences eco-environment.Therefore,to advance construction of ecological civilization is a branch of eco-protection[13-14].During evolvement in 60 years,the prevention work of water and soil erosion accelerates significantly.For instance,primarily treated area of water and soil erosion totals 1.016 million km2nationwide and water and soil conservation available maintains 1.5 billion ton soils,increasing water-holding capacity by 25 billion m3and crops by 18 billion kg.

Carrying out national key projects to accelerate ecological civilization

Water and soil conservation is a main body of ecological construction,and a lifeline of economic and social development.Fortunately,the treatment of water and soil erosion has changed from single,scattered and spontaneous behaviors to planning,treatment and advancement in a comprehensive way,being a part of national ecological construction key projects,so that the much progress has been made on treatment in terms of scale,coverage and effects.Since the 1990s,ecological civilization construction speeds up dramatically,and ecological civilization construction reinforces accordingly (Fig.2-Fig.3).Afforestation area accumulates to 58 million hm2during the decade which is the period with the largest area in history,and forest coverage rates grow from 16.55% to 20.36% in China.What’s more,in the context of decreasing forest resources,both of forest area and stand volume keep increasing,and key forest projects reinforce,for example,the 2nd-phase natural forest protection project starts and the policy of returning farmlands to forests extends.Greening consciousness is improving among the public and voluntary tree planting becomes popular(Fig.4).Additionally,during the decade,the access threshold for some industries with high pollution and discharge is improving; cleaner production standards are issuing; new hygienic standards of drinking water are applied,promoting new state detection criterion,such as PM 2.5.It is obvious that highlights are given to ecological civilization and ecological compensation mechanism.

Full implementation of laws on ecological civilization construction,effectively controlling human destruction

Table2 Laws and regulations on ecological civilization construction issued recently

The 18thNational Congress proposed to build beautiful China.Since reform and opening-up,national economy grows fast,continuously meeting the growing material and cultural needs of the people,but eco-environment enterprise keeps severe and even deteriorates.It should be recognized that neither a picturesquescenery country with impoverished and backward economy,nor a prosperous country with contaminated environment refers to a beautiful China.The construction of ecological civilization requires not only guiding and supports from value ideas,but also ruling and standardization from laws formulated by governments.Hence,it is necessary for ecological civilization to be written into the Constitution to determine the role in fundamental law of the state,which would be of significance to cultivate moral sense and legal consciousness among the public,to determine sustainable development and promote national social and economic development.

Since 2006,to establish ecological compensation system has been emphasized in 5 successive years by the First Document and concerning laws and rules are issuing and improving (Table2),including Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China,Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution,Law of The People’s Republic of China on Water and Soil Conservation,Water Act,Standard for Safe Use of Agricultural Chemicals and Environmental Quality Standard for Soils[15].Furthermore,modifications supplementation and improvements are made on Law of The People's Republic of China on Water and Soil Conservation,to adapt to modern development and the public are encouraged to impeach some typical cases.With implementation of strategy of Blue-economy Zone,Wendeng City,Shandong Province has become a hot region of investment nationwide,accompanying by pressure from water and soil conservation.Hence,Wendeng City reinforces ecological restoration and protection projects by intensifying water and soil comprehensive treatment,advancing water ecological construction and social and economic sustainable development.Specifically,the capital of Wendeng City in constructing water and soil conservation facilities,minor drainage basin management,and rural river regulation is as high as 1 billion yuan,and 1 300 hm2water and soil conservation forests and water conservation forests are planted,which indicated that 30 000 hm2water and soil erosion areas are treated.In the City,12 towns win National Eco-towns,three provincial eco-villages are built,and Wendeng City have 568 ecological villages,accounting for 83% of villages.Therefore,Wendeng City is honored as a national ecological city,achieving a win-win relationship between economy development and ecological protection.

Emphasizing ecological self-healing capacity and large-area vegetation being restored

Eco-environment is an organic integration of soil,water,heat and light.If water and soil conservation is not well prepared,water and soil erosion would affect coordinated relationship,resulting in unbalance of eco-environment and even deterioration.Therefore,only by close watching the relationship between water and soil conservation and eco-environment could construction of water and soil conservation be achieved as per ecological economy theory.At present,646 counties are suffering serious water and soil erosion,and annual erosion would cause economic loss by 2.25%of GDP,and the eco-environment loss is countless[16].In China,because of many types of water and soil erosion and human destruction,deterioration of eco-environment and eroded regions interact as both cause and effect,so that natural resources can not well protected and fully made use of.It is notable that it is fertile soils that are washed away and infertile soils left and in the regions with serious water and soil erosion,and soil fertility is declining and yield is decreasing,forming a vicious circle of poverty and reclamation (Fig.5).Presently,over 90%rural population are distributed in eroded regions with poor eco-environment.

For a long-term,human beings always fight with nature for existence and development,with help of technology,by unboundedly exploiting natural resources,excessively reclaiming of lands,deforestation,destruction on vegetation and ecology.Consequently,a series of eco-disasters occur,including deteriorating ecology,water and soil erosion,floods,oasis disappearing,and sand storms[17].In the new century,different regions actively adjust work thoughts,and determining to intensify comprehensive treatments on water and soil erosion,on basis of scientific assessment on human and nature relationship,and deciding to accelerate vegetation restoration,reduce water and soil erosion,and improve eco-environment.What’s more,ecological restoration has gained approving of the whole society.For example,Beijing,Hebei,Shaanxi,Qinghai,Ningxia,and Shanxi issued forbidding grazing in closed mountains,which is well implemented in 136 cities and 1 200 counties of 27 provinces in China.In addition,the policy is applied in national key water and soil conservation project regions,covering 720 000 km2ecological natural restoration,of which 390 000 km3ecoenvironment is primarily restored.As shown in Fig.6,Wuxi City,Jiangsu Province,has made considerable progress on eco-restoration.For example,Wuxi succeeded in developing water hyacinth cultivation model based on floating floor in an experimental unit in Shiba Bay in Wuxi,and 313 hm2water hyacinth survived 3 typhoons and multiple thunderstorms in half of a year,effectively absorbing N and P in lakes and preventing propagation and extension of blue-green algae.

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region conducted treatment of desertification at insisting on economic and ecological benefits,taking farmlands as breakthrough,small watershed as a sub-unit,county as a unit,and branch as a backbone.Since 1998,totaling 4 144.18 km2eroded areas and 299 small watersheds are well treated,suggesting that much progress has made on preventing desertification and comprehensive treatment on water and soil conservation.

The comprehensive treatment on small watersheds would effectively improve eco-environment and agricultural infrastructure,reduce natural disasters,such as drought,and advance adjustment of industrial structure and yield and income increases[18](Fig.7).On basis of national plan,it is recommended to make a rational arrangement on farmlands of agriculture,forestry,and animal husbandry,arranging water and soil conservation and farming,and afforestation and engineering projects,to formulate a comprehensive prevention system in order to protect,improve and rational use water and soil resources of small watershed[19-20].At first,according to water and soil resources of small watershed,and social development,it is important to determine production and development trend of production to well arrange agriculture,forestry,and animal husbandry,construct highyielding and stable-yielding farmlands,improve crop yield per unit area,and advance returning farmland on steep slopes.Secondly,water and soil conservation provides services for adjusting agricultural production structure,and development of commercial products and modern agriculture.Thirdly,at arranging treatment measures,it is necessary to integrate engineering projects with afforestation and farmings and slope protection with ditch treatments.Furthermore,the treatment sequences should be slope first,followed by ditches,and branch ditch first,followed by dry ditch,and upstream first,followed by downstream.Finally,it is crucial to highlight improving crop yield and economic income and the issue of forage,fertilizer and drinking water.

Analysis on Water and Soil Conservation and Eco-environment Construction

Water and soil lay foundation for human existence and living.With population increasing and social and economic development,more and more attention is paid to protecting and rational use of water and soils worldwide.China is one of countries with serious issue of water and soil erosion,with annual lost soils at 5 billion t,and lost farmlands at 70 000 hm2.It is clear that water and soil erosion significantly prevents social and economic development,resulting in deterioration of eco-environment.Therefore,some measures are proposed.

To implement the strategy of protection first

It is a fundamental change from after-treatment to pre-treatment to prevention of promote water and soil erosion,and to construct,maintain and develop ecological civilization is a key task for guaranteeing fundamental interests of people.Specifically,cadres should establish correct development view and ecological view;departments should conduct dynamic monitoring on water and soil erosion,to recognize status of water and soil erosion,and to make plan on construction of information system and monitoring network.

To implement the strategy of comprehensive treatment

It is necessary to construct a scientific water and soil prevention system to implement comprehensive treatment and optimize configuration project,with biological and farming measures.Meanwhile,pure prevention-oriented treatment should be transformed into development-oriented treatment to integrate treatment and protection,with development and use,integrate economic benefits with ecological benefits and social benefits,and treatment with getting rid of poverty and becoming better off.With comprehensive treatment as a breakthrough,it is important to advance the treatment of small watershed,intensify construction of drainage projects on terrace and slopes,as well as water storage projects to improve use efficiency and benefits.

To implement the strategy of ecological restoration

Nature plays an increasingly important role in promoting vegetation restoration in large scale and laws and regulations in ecological protection.It is of necessity to mobilize people to protect eco-environment consciously,and take part in monitoring and managing environment protection.Furthermore,contracting,renting,auctioning,and the joint stock cooperative system are available for treating waste resources.

To implement the strategy of ecoogical restoration

Water and soil conservation work should be applied China,with measures adjusted to local conditions.Specifically,in the east,construction of small watershed should be considerably promoted to improve use efficiency of water and soil resources;in middle China,it is necessary to strengthen monitoring degree on constructed projects and prevent human-caused erosion,as well as make comprehensive treatment on regions with serious water and soil erosion; in the west,it is recommended to extend prevention on water and soil erosion and build farmlands with stable yields despite drought or floods,laying foundation for increasing farmers’incomes.

To implement S&T supporting strategy

Water and soil conservation should rely on science and technology.For instance,it is of importance to establish water and soil conservation research system,key scientific research system,and demonstration and promotion system suitable for our nation in order to improve contribution rate and prevention of water and soil conservation.Water conservation projects should be applied on basis of S&T under the principle of people first and research should continue to develop new technologies and accomplish large-scale production of economic plants to finally advance economy of the zone.

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