Human Carrying Capacity of Rangeland Resources in China′s Mountain Areas

Based on analysis of the development potential of rangeland resources in China＇s mountain areas, the paper makes analysis and forecast in human carrying capacity of rangeland resources. It provides some reference for drawing up the development strategy in mountain areas.

Spatiotemporal evolution of land transportation networks and accessibility in inland mountainous areas 1917-2017:A case study of Southwest China

Located in the western hinterland,Southwest China is a typical mountainous area covered by plateaus,mountains and hills.Its ruggedness hinders regional internal and external connections,and its poor transportation infrastructure has long constrained the socioeconomic development of Southwest China.Based on the GIS transportation database,this paper explored the spatiotemporal evolution and characteristics of the land transportation networks and the accessibility of Southwest China from 1917 to 2017.Regional accessibility in Southwest China has significantly improved,and transportation infrastructure has gradually integrated the transportation circles of the52 central cities.The transportation network has followed an evolutionary process from a"hub-spoke pattern"to a"network pattern",while the construction of a high-speed railway(HSR)has brought about significant spatial polarization.We argue that innovation in transportation technology is one of the most effective factors for promoting a significant change in regional accessibility.In addition,the spatial distribution and evolution of accessibility in Southwest China presents a verticalcharacteristic that distinguishes it from the plains,as the spillover effects of new transportation infrastructure on accessibility improvement are partly offset by the mountainous terrain.Additionally,in Southwest China,there is significant"path dependence"in the evolution of the transportation network,since a large portion of the population is concentrated along transportation corridors in mountainous areas.

Effects of Land Management Practices on Soil Water in Southwestern Mountainous Area, China

The effects of selected land management practices （cross-sloping tillage, ridge culture, organic manure, and straw mulch） on soil water conservation in a southwestern mountainous area, China, were studied during November 2002 to November 2004. The experimental field is divided into three parts based on soil layer depths, 0-60 cm （part Ⅰ）, 0-40 cm （part Ⅱ）, and 0- 20 cm （part Ⅲ）, and they all had the same slope azimuth （SE）, slope （10°）, and slope type （linear）. The experimental plots were subjected to the following treatments： cross-sloping tillage （CST）; cross-sloping tillage with organic manure （CST/ OM）; cross-sloping tillage with straw mulch （CST/SM）; contour ridge culture （CRC）; contour ridge culture with organic manure （CRC/OM）; and contour ridge culture with straw mulch （CRC/SM）, to identify the effects of management practices on soil water. Water contents were determined for soil samples collected, using a 2.2 cm diameter manual probe. Soil water was monitored once every five days from Nov. 20, 2002 to Nov. 20, 2004. The results indicated that, in the study stages, an integration of rainfall, evaporative losses, and crop transcription controlled the basic tendencies of profile （mean） soil water, while land management practices, to a certain extent, only modified its amount, distribution, and routing. Moreover, these modifications also mainly focused on the first 20 cm depth of topsoil layer. When each management practice was compared with control treatment, season changes of profile （mean） soil water were pronounced, while interannual changes among them were not significant. More comparisons indicated that, in the study stages, contour ridge culture had better effects than cross-sloping tillage. And under the same tillage, the combination of organic manure could achieve more than straw mulch. These management practices should be recommended considering the effectiveness of soil and water management techniques in the southwestern mountainous area, China.

Street Space in Traditional Settlements in Mountainous Area of North China

With mountainous area of North China as the research objective,the study analyzed street space in traditional settlements in mountainous area of North China from the perspective of form,structure and culture,hoping to find some methods and laws that could be served as the reference for the design of living environment in future.

Rural vulnerability,migration,and relocation in mountain areas of Western China:An overview of key issues and policy interventions

Western China features a vast area of mountains and high plateaus where millions of people,including diverse ethnic minority groups,have inhabited for generations.Geographically located in the mountainous,remote,and isolated regions,rural communities are prone to natural hazards and thus become vulnerable to impoverishment.To reduce rural vulnerability,many people residing in mountainous villages opted to out-migrate from their original villages and hometowns while some took in-situ adaptation measures.A host of government-sponsored resettlement programs have been carried out to help rural villagers seek alternative livelihoods elsewhere over the past four decades.To achieve a sustainable future for rural communities in mountainous areas of western China,more effective policies and measures need to be developed and enforced.

The Quantitative Analysis of Land Use Structure Characteristics of County in Mountainous Areas in Sichuan Province of China——A Case Study of Rong County

Based on the data concerning detailed survey on land in the year 2009 and land change in the year 2010 in Rong County,a mountainous region of Sichuan Province,by using quantitative geographical model,we conduct quantitative analysis of the status quo of land use in Rong County in terms of land use diversification,land use centralization,land use combination type,land use geographic significance and comprehensive use degree of land use.The results show some characteristics as follows.Firstly,land use in study area displays prominent characteristic of diversification;there is a high degree of completeness land use type;there is a great similarity among towns.Secondly,there is limited combination number of land use type;mostly the combination number of the towns is 2-3;the holistic function of regional land is fragile;the proportion of farmland areas is big,reaching 40.09%;the land use type of 21 towns is farmland.Thirdly,the towns with prominent characteristic of diversification of land use in Rong County,have low degree of centralization of land use and relatively big combination number of land use type,and vice versa.Fourthly,the type and quantity of agricultural land resources with geographical significance are relatively complete with nothing missing;it abounds in untapped land,but the overall index values of land use are all smaller than 300,with low overall use degree of land.

Length of stay in urban areas of circular migrants from the mountainous areas in China

Currently, there is limited literature dealing with the length of stay of circular migrants in urban areas （LSCMU）, although many studies have discussed the phenomenon of migration and the determinants of migration. This study attempts to fill that gap using survey data from the mountainous areas of Chongqing, Southwest China. From a comparative perspective, this study divided workers into two groups （a young group aged between 16 and 35 years and an old group aged between 36 and 65 years）. The average LSCMU values for the young and old groups were 225 days and ~74 days, respectively. Two multi-regression models were used to estimate the determinants of LSCMU in the two groups. The results showed that LSCMU was closely related to individual factors in both groups, including gender, age and job training. Family and community factors, including household size, arable land per capita and the distance from market, had much weaker effects on the dependent variable, especially in the older group. It was noticeable that job training had significant positive effects on LSCMU in both groups; these findings have special implications for the urbanization process in China.

Can Multiple Livelihood Interventions Improve Livelihood Resilience of Out-of-poverty Farmers in Mountain Areas?A Case Study of Longnan Mountain Area,China

Clarifying the impact of livelihood interventions on the livelihood resilience of farmers in undeveloped mountain areas can not only optimize interventions,but also provide experiential support for global poverty alleviation.To analyze the impact of multiple livelihood interventions on livelihood resilience,we constructed an analytical framework and analyzed the enjoyment of livelihood interventions and the heterogeneity of livelihood resilience among out-of-poverty farmers in the Longnan mountain areas,China.Then,we studied the impact of intervention intensity on livelihood resilience through the multiple linear regression model.The results revealed that:1)the livelihood interventions enjoyed by out-of-poverty farmer in mountain areas were multiple.The proportion of farmers enjoyed diversified livelihood interventions was in descending order of high mountain areas,semi-mountain area and Chuanba valley areas.2)The overall livelihood resilience of farmers in Longnan mountain areas was generally low,with an average of 0.299.There were significant differences in the livelihood resilience of farmers across different geographic areas in the study area and types of interventions.3)The effects of industry interventions,employment interventions and education interventions were significant.The endogenous power of farmers not only had a significant positive effect on livelihood resilience,but also positively moderated the impact of the intensity of interventions on livelihood resilience.In addition,the household dependency ratio and the average altitude of the village area had a significant negative impact on their livelihood resilience.

Slope runoff study in situ using rainfall simulator in mountainous area of North China

Simulated rainfall is a valid tool to examine the runoff generation on the slope.13 simulated rainfall experiments with different rainfall intensities and durations are completed in a 5 m ×10 m experimental plot in mountainous area of North China.Simultaneously,rainfall,surface runoff,soil-layer flow,mantel-layer flow and soil moisture are monitored respectively.From the results,it is found that the hydrographs in all layers have the characteristics of rapid rise and fall.The recessions of surface flow and soil-layer flow are much faster than that of mantel-layer flow.Surface flow,the main contributor,makes up more than 60% of the total runoff in the study area.It even exceeds 90% in the cases of high intensity rainfall events.Runoff coefficient(ratio of total runoff to rainfall amount) is mainly influenced by rainfall amount,rainfall intensity and antecedent soil moisture,and the relationship can be well expressed by a multiple linear regression function α = 0.002P + 0.182i + 4.88Wa-0.821.The relation between the rainfall intensity and the lag time of three flows(surface runoff,soil-layer flow and mantel-layer flow) is shown to be exponential.Then,the result also shows that the recession constant is 0.75 for surface runoff,is 0.94 for soil-layer and mantel-layer flow in this area.In this study area,the dominant infiltration excess runoff is simulated by Horton model.About 0.10 mm/min percolation is observed under the condition of different rainfall intensities,therefore the value is regarded as the steady infiltration rate of the study area.

CONSULTATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN KARST AND ROCK-NAKED MOUNTAIN AREAS OF SOUTHWEST CHINA

The serious degradation of the ecological environment and the rapid expansion of stone desert have had a serious effect on the economic development of karst and rock-naked mountain areas in Southwest China. Moreover, these areas are still at the initial stage of industrialization, characterized by a greater significance of agriculture to the economy, face sharp contradictions among the population, the arable land and resources, and are suffering because of a shortage of investment. On the basis of this current situation, three recommendations are made in this article: "coordinating the relations among grain, ecology, population and economic development", "increasing the input of science and technology", and "adopting policies consistent with social equity in areas of poverty".

ANALYSIS ON POVERTY IN MOUNTAIN AREAS BASED ON OFF-FARM INDUSTRIES

This paper reveals that agricultural growth trend in China is strongly correlated with the growth of off-farm industries-the curve of net income from off-farm industries reflects the general characteristics of net income of households. That means the increase of net income of farm households is chiefly from off-farm industries,more than from agriculture. The authors therefore conclude that the "poverty" in mountain areas or the gap between mountain areas and plain areas lies in the underdevelopment of off-farm industries in mountain areas. Finally,the authors make suggestions of strategic adjustment of economic structure: 1) present situation of mountain areas in China should be fully considered; 2) a full industrial system is not our desire; 3) advantageous industries should be promoted to create famous products; 4) industrialization and urbanization in mountain areas should be promoted and so on.

Analysis on the Climatic Characteristics of Hail in the South Mountain Area of Ningxia

[Objective] The research aimed to study the climatic characteristics of hail in the southern mountain area of Ningxia in recent 50 years. [Method] Based on the hail observation data of 5 surface meteorological stations (Guyuan, Xiji, Jingyuan, Longde, Liupanshan) in the south of Ningxia during 1960-2009, the spatial distribution rule, the interannual and monthly climatic characteristics and variation trends of hail in the south mountain area of Ningxia were analyzed by using the statistical method. Moreover, the hail disaster prevention and reduction measures in Guyuan were put forward. [Result] The hail in the south mountain area of Ningxia in recent 50 years had the obvious annual, seasonal, monthly and daily variation characteristics. The hail might occur from March to October and mainly concentrated during May-August which occupied 72% in the whole year. The occurrence probability of hail in June was the biggest and occupied 21.7% in the whole year. It was the typical multi-hail zone in summer. The interannual variation of hail occurrence in Guyuan was big and had 3-year periodicity. The secondary-order time trend of hail in Guyuan was the anti-parabolic type, and the hail occurrence times during the 1960s-1980s presented the increase trend. It was the hail multi-occurrence period in the 1970s and 1980s. After the 1990s, the hail presented the decrease trend. In recent 20 years, the hail significantly decreased. The hail in Guyuan mainly concentrated during 12:00-21:00, and the hail occurrence times occupied 85% of total times. The hail distribution in Guyuan area had the obvious regional characteristics. The hail in the mountain area, hilly area was more and in the stream valley, north Pingchuan area was less. The hail cloud mainly derived from the mountain areas, such as Liupanshan, Nanhua Mountain, Yueliang Mountain, Xifeng Mountain and Yunwu Mountain, etc. The move direction of hail cloud was mainly from northwest to southeast or from north to south. Part of hail cloud disappeared in the original place. According to the regional distribution of hail, the hail risk in Guyuan City was divided into the high, moderate and low occurrence zones by combining with the hail disaster data. [Conclusion] The research provided the scientific basis for the forecast, early-warning of hail weather and the artificial hail suppression.

Study on the Countermeasures of Eco-environment Conservation in the Mountainous Areas of Southern Ningxia under New Situation

Under the implementation of principal functional zoning,further promotion of western development,regional migration,new countryside construction,global warming and so on,the spatial adjustment of regional industry and its structure must be enforced.The spatial adjustment and arrangement of population and economy in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia could create tremendous opportunity for its eco-environment conservation.Based on analysis on the opportunity and challenge of eco-environment conservation in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia,some countermeasures of eco-environment conservation were discussed in the paper,so as to provide some theoretical references for the eco-environment conservation in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia.

Output Characteristics of Non-point Nitrogen and Phosphorus from a Typical Small Watershed in Yimeng Mountainous Area during a Rainstorm

[ Objective] The study aimed to reveal the output characteristics of non-point nitrogen and phosphorus from a typical small watershed in Yimeng mountainous area during a rainstorm. [Method] The dynamic changes of pollutant concentration, precipitation and flow during the rainstorm on August 12, 2010 were monitored at the outlet of Menglianggu watershed. [ Result] During the rainstorm, the generation of runoff was sudden and ephemeral, and the peak of the runoff lagged behind that of rainfall intensity; the concentration of AN and TN increased firstly and then tended to be stable, while NN concentration had no significance change at the beginning of the rainfall, then improved gradually and tended to be stable fi- nally; DOP concentration had no obvious change during the rainstorm, but the concentration of DIP, DP, PP and TP rose firstly and then tended to be stable, and the peak values appeared before the peak of the flow. In addition, the output concentration of TN and TP was far higher than the standard concentration of water eutrophication. [ Conclusion] The study can provide scientific references for the reasonable control of non-point source pollution pollution in Yimeng mountainous area.

Status of Impoverished Population and Contradiction of Economic Development in Qinling-Bashan Mountainous Area——A Case Study of Hanzhong City,Shaanxi Province

The status of impoverished population and economic development in Qinling-Bashan Mountainous area,Shaanxi is introduced based on the brief account of its general situation.Firstly,there are a large proportion of rural people and great outflow of population;a considerable proportion of the weak,the disabled,the sick and the dementia and low population quality;weak capacity of the economy to generate profit on its own and declining trend of financial self-sufficiency rate.taking into account that Qinling-Bashan Mountainous area is the poorest area with the largest impoverished population and the most complex structure of poverty,the impact of the status of the poor population in Qinling-Bashan Mountainous area on its economy is discussed:the first one is backward ecological concept and serious damage to ecological environment;outflow of excellent talents and a serious shortage of labor;the industrial structure is irrational and the resources advantage can not be transformed into economic advantage.Some corresponding measures and suggestions are proposed:the first one to build new small town so as to lessen the loss of population;the second one is to provide preferential policies so as to attract and retain qualified person;the third one to develop education and establish the concept of ecological civilization;the fourth one is to unblock the channels of information transmission and restructure the industry.

Analysis on Change Characteristics of Sunshine in Benxi Mountainous Area in Recent 57 Years

[Objective] This study aimed to analyze the change characteristics of sunshine hours in Benxi mountainous area in recent 57 years.[Method] Based on the data of monthly sunshine hours,total cloudiness,vapor pressure and ≥0.1 mm precipitation days from Caohekou weather station during 1954-2010,by using linear tendency,Mann-Kendall method and wavelet analysis,the change characteristics of sunshine hours in Benxi mountainous area in recent 57 years were analyzed,as well as the possible climatic factors resulting in the decrease of sunshine hours.[Result] In recent 57 years,except for the slight increase of sunshine hours in winter,annual sunshine hours and sunshine hours in other seasons showed significantly decreasing trend,and annual sunshine hours varied abruptly in 1971.In addition,total cloudiness,vapor pressure and ≥0.1 mm precipitation days affected sunshine hours obviously,but sunshine hours didn’t simply increase as the reduction of total cloudiness and ≥0.1 mm precipitation days,which showed that the influencing factors of sunshine hours were complex.[Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the reasonable utilization of light energy,adjustment of agricultural industrial structure and sustainable development of agricultural economy in mountainous areas.

Analysis on Change Tendency of the Precipitation Resource during Growth Period of the Conventional Crops in Plain Area before Taihang Mountains

[Objective] The aim was to study change tendency of the precipitation resource during growth period of the conventional crops in plain area before Taihang Mountains. [ Method] Based on daily precipitation data at Shijiazhuang meteorological station in recent 51 years, average rainfall dudng growth periods of the 9 kinds of conventional crops was obtained. Precipitation tendency dudng growth periods of the 9 kinds of conventional crops in plain area before Taihang Mountains was analyzed by Mann-Kendall nonparametric test. [ Result] Seen from rainfall during growth pedods of the different crops, rainfall was the least during the growth period of winter wheat, followed by summer corn. Rainfall during growth peri- ods of the cotton, oil plant, vegetable, fruit tree, potato, rice and legumes was more. Under different guaranteed rates, precipitation change also had difference. Rainfall change during growth periods of the wheat and corn was bigger, and rainfall change during growth period of the rice was smaller. Change degree of the precipitation during growth periods of the cotton, oil plant, vegetable, fruit tree and legumes was equivalent, while precipitation change during growth period of the potato was the biggest. Seen from change tendency of the precipitation during growth periods of the different crops, precipitation in the growth period of winter wheat was increasing at a speed of 0.62 mm/a. However, precipitation in growth periods of the other crops had a decreasing tendency. Precipitation in the growth periods of summer corn and legumes decreased at the same speed which was 2.11 mm/a, while precipitation in growth periods of the cotton, oil plant, vegetable, fruit tree, potato and rice decreased insignificantly. [ Con dusion] The study laid foundation for determination of the agricultural irrigation water and provided theoretical reference for regional agricultural water-saving.

Comprehensive Evaluation on Agricultural Structure and Correlation of Agricultural Internal Structure——A Case of Yimeng Mountainous Area

According to the relevant data from Chinese Statistical Yearbook, the overall agricultural structure and the internal structure of agriculture in Yimeng Mountainous area are analyzed. The status quo of the agricultural and the internal structure of agriculture in Yimeng Mountainous area are analyzed through the method of comprehensive appraisal of the improved factors. The safety coefficient of the comprehensive appraisal is from 2.626 696 to 4.987 546,which is exclude in the safety extent, so it needs adjusting. At the same time, the internal relations of the internal structure of agriculture in Yimeng Mountainous area are studied by using the relativity analysis. The overall agricultural structure of Yimeng Mountainous area is in negative correlation to planting structure and forestry structure, and in positive correlation to livestock breeding industry; the plating structure is in negative correlation to livestock breeding structure and in positive correlation to forestry structure and the forestry structure is in negative correlation to livestock breeding structure.

Investigation on the Concurrent-Business Behavior of Peasant Households during the Planting Structure Adjustment in Karst Mountainous Area

Based on the survey data of 150 peasant households in typical Karst mountainous area in the year 2009, causations, characteristics and influence factors of the concurrent-business behavior of peasant households during planting structure adjustment are analyzed. Result shows that there is significant positive correlation between the concurrent-business income and the household income of farmers. And the concurrent-business behavior has the tendency to be popular among the young farmers with the characteristics of relative concentration, strong will of farmers and the significant impact of education degree on the concurrent-business income. Information, capital, skill, and market awareness are the main factors affecting the concurrent-business behavior of peasant households. Countermeasures to optimize the concurrent-business behavior of peasant households are put forward, such as strengthening the skills training for farmers to improve the cultural quality of peasant households, establishing modern rural financial service system to offer capital support for the development of peasant households, setting up information base of rural labor force to provide more information and channels for the concurrent-business behavior of peasant households, and enhancing the cultivation of farmers' market awareness to improve their ability to adapt to market economy.

The Research of Forest Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation in Dabie Mountain

In subtropical to warm temperate transitional zone of the Dabie Mountains hinterland forest topsoil as the research object this text,through the different levels of soil bulk density,organic carbon content of the determination of analytical studies in the area of forest surface soil organic carbon density.Because of the ecological role of small environment,the study area within the soil bulk density increased with depth,surface soil porosity,and bulk density from top to bottom in 0.8.All measuring points are the 0-10 cm surface layer soil organic carbon content are highest,content between 67.232-61.940 g/kg,this,because the forest soil organic carbon important source withers and falls in the vegetation stack and rotten.Different measuring point organic carbon along with depth change characteristic slightly different,low elevation the measuring point soil organic carbon content increases the monotonous drop along with the depth,the elevation is high,the measuring point slightly has in the 30-40 cm depth content increases.The comprehensive bulk specific gravity factor computation,the 0-40 cm soil organic carbon total content slightly has along with altitude above sea level’s rise increases,each square meter organic carbon content between 16 560.5-18 354.6 g,studies the region 0-40 cm soil organic carbon content mean value by 3 measuring points mean value achievement,then this region 0-40 cm soil organic carbon density approximately 174.3 t/hm2;Refers to the related research between the surface layer and the 0-100 cm soil layer organic carbon content relational reckoning,studies the region 0-100 cm soil organic carbon density to be possible to reach 233.9 t/hm2,it indicated that the Dabie Mountain area forest soil system has the giant organic carbon capacity.