Desertification in China and Its Control

The situation of desertification in China is described in this chapter. China is one of the seriously affected developing countries with vast areas of desertification, which have very large populations and frequent disasters, and with limited arable lands. The lands affected by desertification are mainly distributed at a range of longitude of 74–119°E and latitude of 19–49°N. The total area of the arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas is about 3.32 million km2, of which 2.62 million km2, covering 79.0% of the total area, and occupying 27.3% of the total land territory of China, has been desertified, is still developing at present, at an annual rate of 2 460 km2. The authors introduce the general background on China’s desertification, such as the current situation, distribution, types, and causes of desertification, also including its damages. Major measures to combat desertification, including ecological protective project systems and special control measures (especially in sandy desertified regions) are given in this chapter. In addition, a practical study case (in Daxing County, Beijing), is introduced. The development in combating desertification in China is also reported.