Remediating Desertification in Yan River Basin - Loess Plateau

Priority Remediation Strategies

Priority remediation strategies were selected in the former of WB3 multi-stakeholders workshops. The existing soil and water conservation practices was balance based on the economic / production, ecological and socio-cultural criteria. level bench terrace, reforestation and check dam for land were considered good options of this region. There are no other additional criteria used.
Rank 1 2 3 Remediation Strategy Level bench Terrace Reforestation Check dam for land

The severe soil erosion and water shortage are the key desertification problems because of the soft soil prone to erosion, the broken landforms, limited rainfall as very intensive storms.

Promoting Remediation in Yan River Basin

The priority remediation options were adopted widely in the research site because its relative fair processes and integrated criteria. The selected strategies were disseminated through the workshops and the field survey and visiting and co-monitoring of DESIRE to local farmers, and the results of these technologies are shared with police makes through survey together, discussion and consultation with them on the advantages and shortages of technologies and the scientific or technical necessary. We used a meta-plan and sticky-dot prioritisation for the local farmers, the rank is check dam for land first, then terrace building and reforestation. For the policy makes, we just discussed with them and they prefer to reforestation first with subsidies (expending and extending the Grain for Green Project) , then check dam for land. The terrace was considered as traditional method and the most important thing is how to use it. There are some existing local, regional and national policies that could promote wide adoption of the strategies, such as the Check Dam Engineering in the Yellow River Basin . The major obstacle identified for adopting the priority remediation options is the investment. It is necessary to influence the policy makers or some decision makers to know and to use it according to the different decision-making process.

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Next Steps
DESIRE team of Loess Plateau will share the workshop report with participants of local farmers and policy makers in October 2011. The policy makers would share some progress, ideas and planning of remediation strategies. Some research on Why the stakeholders involve? would be do in our research to know the local special driving forces both of farmers and policy makers.

Key Policy Messages

Achieving long-term sustainable rehabilitation by using the DESIRE methodology to control soil erosion of apple groves (Year-afteryear Terraced Land) should be put forward because of the soil erosion of the slope apple plantation is very severe. The policy makers are good bridge to joint the research, demand of local farmers and government that DESIRE should submit more practical suggestions rather than some result. The subsidy or payment is necessary for the adaptation of desertification control because of the differences of on-site and off-site impacts.

Integrated control of watershed Wang Fei, 2011, ISWC,CAS

Feedback
The 6 village chiefs and 2 farmers for co-monitoring and 5 policy makers agreed that the workshops on the strategy selection and evaluation is clear and valuable for the further remediation of desertification and improvement of local economic condition. The integrated control is necessary and best options. believed that the method the of DESIRE project could be highly recommended to improve the question abstracting and decision making.
The DESIRE project (2007-2011) is funded by the European Commission, VI Framework Program, Global Change and Ecosystems and brings together the expertise of 26 international research institutes and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This project is implemented by ALTERRA - research institute for the green living environment in the Netherlands. Copyright and Disclaimer: www.desire-project.eu/disclaimer

New check dam land Wang Fei, 2011, ISWC,CAS

Poster by:
Contact DESIRE coordinator: Coen.Ritsema@wur.nl DESIRE website : http://www.desire-project.eu/ Harmonised Information System: http://www.desire-his.eu/

The opinions expressed in this poster and on the website are those of the DESIRE project consortium and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.