Comparing Land Degradation and Regeneration Trends in China Drylands

doi:10.11947/j.JGGS.2020.0409

Abstract

Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to offer a statistically sound method to make a precise account of the speed of land degradation and regeneration processes. Most common analyses of land degradation focus instead on the extent of degraded areas, rather than on the intensity of degradation processes. The study was implemented for the Potential Extent of Desertification in China (PEDC), composed by arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions and refers to the period 2002 to 2012. The metrics were standard partial regression coefficients from stepwise regressions, fitted using Net Primary Productivity as the dependent variable, and year number and aridity as predictors. The results indicate that: ① the extension of degrading lands (292896km² or 9.12% of PEDC) overcomes the area that is recovering (194560km² or 6.06% of PEDC); and ② the intensity of degrading trends is lower than that of increasing trends in three land cover types (grassland, desert, and crops) and in two aridity levels (semi-arid and dry sub-humid). Such an outcome might pinpoint restoration policies by the Chinese government, and document a possible case of hysteresis.

Key words: environmental monitoring; vegetation temporal trends; land degradation; standard partial regression coefficients; Potential Extent of Desertification in China; environmental monitoring; vegetation temporal trends; standard partial regression coefficients

Gabriel Del BARRIO,Zhihai GAO,Jaime Martinez-VALDERRAMA,Xiaosong LI,Maria E. SANJUAN,Bin SUN,Alberto RUIZ,Bengyu WANG,Juan PUIGDEFABREGAS. Comparing Land Degradation and Regeneration Trends in China Drylands[J]. Journal of Geodesy and Geoinformation Science, 2020, 3(4): 89-97.

Figures/Tables 10

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	Sample size		Mean rank		U statistic		p	Median
	Deg	Inc	Deg	Inc				Deg	Inc
Land cover
Forest	19	6	12.2	15.7	41.0		0.333	-0.641	0.703
Shrub	27	17	20.4	25.8	174.0		0.181	-0.647	0.684
Open Forest	6	10	15.5	4.3	22.0		0.428	-0.620	0.698
Grassland	746	524	571.7	726.4	147835.0	***	0.000	-0.626	0.676
Desert	676	454	542.3	600.1	137761.0	***	0.004	-0.668	0.684
Crop	165	133	134.3	168.4	8457.5	***	0.001	-0.635	0.690
Aridity
Arid	579	414	494.3	500.8	118274.5		0.723	-0.680	0.678
Semi-arid	586	388	430.3	573.9	80159.0	***	0.000	-0.630	0.686
Dry sub-humid	474	342	365.7	467.8	60785.0	***	0.000	-0.626	0.677

	Sample size		Mean rank		U statistic		p	Median
	Deg	Inc	Deg	Inc				Deg	Inc
Land cover
Forest	19	6	12.2	15.7	41.0		0.333	-0.641	0.703
Shrub	27	17	20.4	25.8	174.0		0.181	-0.647	0.684
Open Forest	6	10	15.5	4.3	22.0		0.428	-0.620	0.698
Grassland	746	524	571.7	726.4	147835.0	***	0.000	-0.626	0.676
Desert	676	454	542.3	600.1	137761.0	***	0.004	-0.668	0.684
Crop	165	133	134.3	168.4	8457.5	***	0.001	-0.635	0.690
Aridity
Arid	579	414	494.3	500.8	118274.5		0.723	-0.680	0.678
Semi-arid	586	388	430.3	573.9	80159.0	***	0.000	-0.630	0.686
Dry sub-humid	474	342	365.7	467.8	60785.0	***	0.000	-0.626	0.677