Strategies for Combating Desertification and Rehabilitating Affected Lands in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau——A Case Study of Qinghai Province

【摘要】：正 The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is located at the third pole of the world and its total land areais 2,638,700 km~2,covers approximately 27.5% of the total land territory of China.Desertificationin Qinghai-Tibet Plareau,the highest distribution of desertification affected land in the word,covers approximately 720.9 thousand km~2,occupying 27.32% of the total land territory of theQinghai-Tibet Plateau and 27.49% of the total area of the desertiflcation affected land in China.According to the classification of the root causes of desertification,there are wide distribution ofthree major patterns of the affected lands,which have been identified as the desertification causedby wind erosion and aeolian process,the frozen and melting processes at cold plateau and by soilsalinization/alkalization and waterlogging.The area of each pattem of desertification affected landmentioned above is 334.2 thousand km~2,363 thousand km~2 and 23.7 thousand km~2 respectively.On the basis of grading criteria of the severity of desertification,the desertification in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can be divided into three categories,i.e.slight,medium and severe desertification,representing 26.5%,32.39% and 41.16% respectively.For effective combating and rehabilitation,some stratgic measures have been developed:l)biological-engineering preservation:biologicaland mechanical sand barriers,natural reserves,protected hunting and preservation;2)rehabilitation and restoration:shelterbelt networks for protecting farmlands.fodder-farm andgrazing lands,rotation grazing system and rotation cultivation;and 3)watershed management andriver valley development:integrated agricultural development,snow-capped mountain and deserttourism,encouragement of commnnity or township owned enterprises and service trade.