Ecological and socio-economic benefits of investment in an environmental restoration and agricultural management program in China

On the Loess Plateau of China, the local people have been struggling on low incomes to guarantee their food security, and contend with some of the most serious soil erosion problems in the world. This paper discusses the application, over ten years, of an ecosystem recovery plan, introduced in the Yan'gou watershed in 1998, including large scale construction and re-vegetation projects intended to control soil and water losses. Strategies for increasing agricultural production and raising income levels were included in the plan. The socio-economic and eco-environmental benefits achieved during this period of reconstruction are analyzed. The evidence indicates that the combination of comprehensive measures to prevent eco-environmental degradation and the application of eco-agricultural models was appropriate. The ecoenvironment has been substantially improved and the local people are now enjoying relatively prosperous lives. This watershed provides scientific evidence, and is an exemplary illustration of what may be accomplished by investing in eco-environmental and eco-agricultural construction on the Loess Plateau.