Effects of ecological soil and water conservation measures on soil erosion control in China’s typical regions:A meta-analysis

[Background]As one of the most serious environmental issues in the world,soil erosion causes water pollution,reservoir siltation,soil productivity decline,thus threatens agricultural systems and even affects global climate.The benefits of ecological soil and water conservation measures(ESWCMs,such as micro basins tillage and contour tillage)are widely understood,including runoff and soil loss reducing to a certain extent when compared with traditional tillage.While few studies have focused on China’s different soil types and erosion characteristics.[Methods]We reviewed literature from Web of Science,Scopus,and China National Knowledge Infrastructure using terms like“Conservation practice”“Contour tillage”“Runoff”“Sediment”“Erosion”and“China”and retained literatures based on criteria such as natural or simulated precipitation,runoff or soil loss data,reported replications and statistics,recorded factors like location and slope,and at least two data pairs per group.Ultimately,49 literatures were selected to quantify the impacts on different ESWCMs and identify the slope and precipitation for the greatest runoff and sediment reduction by calculating the log response ratio(LRR).[Results]The three regions’soil and water conservation benefits varied due to the differences in climate,terrain,and soil properties:1)ESWCMs applied in the black soil region of Northeast China were the most effective in reducing runoff and soil loss(66.65%runoff and 75.83%sediment),followed by those applied in the purple soil region of Southwest China(39.98%runoff and 58.30%sediment)and loess soil region of Northwest China(16.36%runoff and 32.44%sediment).2)Micro basins tillage(MBT)(71.79%runoff and 87.03%sediment)no-tillage with mulch(NTM)(17.30%runoff and 32.51%sediment),collecting soil to form a ridge with no-till(CSNT)(55.78%runoff and 71.36%sediment reduction)were the most efficient soil and water conservation measures in controlling water erosion in the black soil of Northeast China,the loess soil region of Northwest China and the purple soil region of Southwest China,respectively.3)The slope gradients ranged from 0-3°,>3°-5°and>10°-15°(0-3°:97.09%;>3°-5°:74.62%;and>10°-15°:39.41%)caused the largest reduction of runoff in the black soil region of Northeast China,the loess soil region of Northwest China,and the purple soil region of Southwest China.Meanwhile,the effects of sediment reduction were the most obvious,ranging from 0-3°,>10°-15°,and>20°-25°(0-3°:89.32%;>10°-15°:75.94%;and>20°-25°:67.25%).4)The effect of ESWCMs under rainstorms was the most obvious in the black soil region of Northeast China.The effect on runoff reduction under light rain in the purple soil region of Southwest China was the most obvious,but it failed to pass the significance test in sediment reduction.[Conclusions]The results provided optimal conservation tillage measures for three regions,different slopes and different rainfalls,and provided data support for reducing regional soil and water loss in China.

Review of wastewater treatment technologies,soil and water conservation measures in nuclear power plants,and inspirations to Fukushima accident

[Background]The previous studies suggest that radioactive elements like Cs and Sr may adversely affect marine ecosystems and the fishing industry.Traditional treatment systems for radioactive wastewater like the Advanced Liquid Processing System(ALPS)and Kurion have faced challenges in limiting concentration and achieving safety criteria.Studies suggest potential long-term impacts on benthic organisms and seafood networks due to radioactive elements like Cs and Sr from the discharged radioactive wastewater,which may hinder post-disaster recovery and provoke economic losses in the fishing industry both domestically and internationally.A series of studies indicate that there are issues of Cs and Sr pollution migration in soil and water conservation in Fukushima.[Methods]To provide feasible solutions,the main article includes five nuclear wastewater treatment technologies,and soil and water conservation measures for different media(water and soil)were evaluated through reviewing the previous fifteen years'articles.To provide feasible solutions,the main articles,the phytoextraction technologies in Cs and Sr treatment within different land use areas were wildly analyzed(Camellia japonica,Arabidopsis halleri and other local species).[Results]1)A 99.9%removal rate for Cs^(+)and 99.5%for Sr^(2+)was achieved by the KFe[Fe(CN)_(6)]and BaSO_(4)co-precipitation method.2)For membrane filtration,Sr^(2+)and Cs^(+)were removed using metal-organic framework(MOF/graphene oxide)and ion exchange techniques using inorganic materials like titanosilicates.The absorption efficiency of membrane filtration for Sr^(2+)and Cs^(+)was at least 92%and 94%,respectively.The study analyzed soil and water conservation technologies in different land uses,river basins and catchments.3)The underground water treatment mainly were completed via the membrance technologies like reverse osmosis and Permeable Reactive Barriers(PRB)technologies.The ^(90) Sr concentration decreased 77%-91%compared to the initial concentration by PRB technology.These diverse methods offered effective strategies for radioactive wastewater treatment,especially the co-precipitation method may be feasible remediation measures to ensure ecological safety surrounding nuclear power utilizing areas.Soil and water conservation measures for soil pollution treatment mainly focused on the use of stabilizers to hinder the migration of Cs and Sr in the soil and the effects of wind erosion such as interpolyelectrolyte complexes.[Conclusions]We evaluated the pollution of Cs and Sr in the Fukushima nuclear radiation soil and water to provide solutions for the treatment of nuclear wastewater and to prevent radionuclide pollutants from migrating into the soil and water.

Current Status and Challenges of the Water and Soil Conservation in Hotan County, Xinjiang

In order to thoroughly analyze the current status and challenges faced by the water and water conservation in Hotan County of Xinjiang,the use situation of water resources,the effectiveness and shortcomings of water and soil conservation work in the region are reviewed.Hotan County has achieved several remarkable achievements in the soil and water conservation project,daily management and maintenance,and ecological restoration projects.Some measures,such as terrace construction,slope protection engineering,and the construction of windproof and sandwood belts,have also had a positive impact on improving the quality of surface water resources while effectively curbing soil erosion.But there are also lack of operating policy detailed rules and implementation plans,and planning and design of some water and soil conservation projects lack of integrity and systematicness,application and promotion of new technologies,and soil loss management and ecological recovery effect assessment lack of comprehensive assessment indicators and methods.It has caused some water and soil conservation works to fail to be effectively implemented.In this regard,countermeasures and suggestions are put forward,such as strengthening the planning and management of water and soil conservation,promoting the technology and measures of water and soil conservation,increasing investment and funding support,and strengthening publicity education and personnel training.

Effect of Mulberry(Morus alba Linn) on Soil and Water Conservation

Rational development and utilization of hilly land is an effective measure for raising land productivity, developing countryside economy, increasing peasants＇ income, conserving soil and water, and improving eco-environment. The growth and root distribution of mulberry trees were studied. Various indexes including soil physical characters and hydrological status, water infiltration rate, water and soil loss and soil erosion amount were tested. The results indicated that mulberry trees had the effects of intercepting rainfall, improving soil infiltration rate, decreasing soil erosion amount, and conserving water and soil

Soil structure characters of different soil and water conservation plantations in typical black soil region

A study was conducted to determine the characters of soil structure in different water and soil conservation forests in Keshan County,northwest of Heilongjiang Province,China.The soil bulk density,the ratio of non-capillary porosity and capillary porosity（NCP/CP）,and the generalized soil structure index（GSSI） were measured for Fraxinus mandshurica,Larix gmelini,Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica,and Picea koraiensis plantations as well as the abandoned land（as control） adjacent to the forests in typical black soil region.Results show that at soil depth of 0–30cm,the soil bulk density of F.mandshurica forest and L.gmelini forest was lower than that of P.sylvestris var.mongolica forest and P.koraiensis forest,with the relative decrease of 8.04%–11.01%.The soil bulk density of L.gmelini forest was significantly different from that of the P.sylvestris var.mongolica forest and P.koraiensis forest.The NCP/CP values of the four types of plantations were all higher（59.75%–128.82% relatively） than that of abandoned land（p〈0.05）,indicating that the soil aeration and permeability under forest were enhanced,especially under L.gmelini forest.GSSI values of the four types of forests were also relatively higher（2.98%–4.36%） than abandoned land（p〈0.05）,indicating that those soil and water conservation forests,especially the F.mandshurica forest and P.koraiensis forest,can promote soil condition to approximate ideal soil structure.The result of this study can provide theoretical basis for scientifically evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil quality in typical black soil region.

Substantive Characteristics of Water and Soil Conservation and Ecological Civilization Construction in China

Water and soil conservation is an important part of eco-civilization con-struction. It is a major part of eco-construction and lifeline of social and economy development. Therefore, water and soil conservation is of great significance in maintaining eco-safety. The research concluded status quo and characters of water and soil losses in China and analyzed water and soil conservation and construction of eco-civilization from the perspectives of water and soil conservation and con-struction of eco-civilization.

Analysis on Countermeasures of Water and Soil Conservation and Eco-environment Construction in China

With economy development,human destruction of eco-environment is deteriorating,which has become a key treatment nationwide.What＇s more,eco-environment construction is proceeding and multi-eco-environment projects are developing.Water and soil conservation and eco-environment construction should be a strategic task long-term insisted on,which is a part of agricultural construction.The research analyzed the relationship between water and soil conservation with eco-environment,concluded the process of ecological civilization construction in promoting water and soil conservation,and proposed countermeasures,laying foundation for water and soil conservation and ecological construction.

Study on Relative Soil and Water Conservation Benefits of Ridge Tillage in Different Terrain Conditions in the Black Soil Area of Northeast China

Ridge tillage, which is a very common and important tillage measure in the black soil area of northeast China, has some soil and water conservation bene- fits, but has little attention. It is very important to explore the spatial distribution of the ridge direction of the arable land and its soil and water conservation benefits in different terrain conditions in the black soil area. So Binxian County of Heilongjiang Province was selected as the study area, and 168 field investigation units were ex- tracted by stratified sampling method and investigated. According to equations of slope gradient factor and slope gradient in ridge direction, and based on the soft- ware of Arcmap, SPSS and Excel, the investigation data of soil and water loss in Binxian County were analyzed and counted, The results show that in plain, hilly and mountainous areas, the average ground slope gradients are 1.92°, 6.20° and 8.27° respectively, and the average slope gradients along ridge direction are 1.33°, 4.52°and 6.45° respectively, which account for about 70%, 73% and 78% of the average ground slope gradients in the same terrain condition; the relative quantities of soil erosion in the present ridge tillage condition account for about 55%, 69% and 67% respectively of that in down-slope ridge tillage conditions, so the present ridge tillage has obviously relative soil and water conservation benefits. Based on these results, the reasons of the present ridge tillage status were analyzed, and some reform measures were proposed. The results could not only help to comprehend the spatial distribution and soil and water conservation benefits of ridge tillage in the black soil area of Northeast China, but also provide scientific references for the layout of local soil and water conservation measures.

An Experimental Analysis of Water and Soil Conservation Effected by Micro-landscape Structure

[Objective] This comparative experiment was to explore the soil loss con- trol effects under cultivation combination of different soil and vegetation types, and to provide scientific basis for the upcoming pilot project of ecological recovery. [Method] Both the rudiment of water locomotion functioned by micro-landscape structures and different spatial combinations of various landscape constituents are considered, thus, the combination of multi-soil type, crop species and site conditions is designed in three different experimental sites. [Result] Soil loss estimates in experiments in South Wello significantly depended on various soil type, slope, vegetation and type of con- servation structure; grass cover tremendously reduces soil loss; legume cultivation performed better than cereal cultivation in soil loss control. [Conclusion] By conduct- ing the data analysis of the experiment, a scientific reference is proposed to the agri- culture planting and protective mode for the alleviation of water and soil loss in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Exploration of Water and Soil Conservation's Function in Construction of Eco-environment

Eco-environment lays foundation for human existence and development, and social and economy evolvement. Therefore, it is a fundamental principle to pro- tact and construct eco-environment and achieve sustainable development. With ur- ban development, and destruction on natural environment, however, the issue of water and soil losses has become a serious problem, affecting people＇s life and production. The research, therefore, explored the role of water and soil conservation in ecological civilization construction, including bomprehensive treatment of water storage and sand reduction, improving agricultural structure and advancing rural econ- omy, relieving the conflict between supply and demand of water resources, improv- ing eco-environment in mountainous regions and accelerating eco-construction.

Benefits of Conservation Agriculture on Soil and Water Conservation and Its Progress in China

Conservation agriculture has been practised for three decades and has been spread widely. There are many nomenclatures surrounding conservation agriculture and differ to each other lightly. Conservation agriculture （CA） is a system approach to soil and water conservation, high crop productivity and profitability, in one word, it is a system approach to sustainable agriculture. Yet, because conservation agriculture is a knowledge-intensive and a complex system to learn and implement, and also because of traditions of intensive cultivation, adoption rates have been low, since to date, only about seven percent of the world＇s arable and permanent cropland area is farmed under conservation agriculture. The practice and wider extention of conservation agriculture thus requires a deeper understanding of its ecological underpinnings in order to manage its various elements for sustainable intensification, where the aim is to conserve soil and water and improve sustainability over the long term. This paper described terms related to conservation agriculture, presented the effects of conservation agriculture on soil and water conservation, crop productivity, progress and adoption of CA worldwide, emphasized obstacles and possible ways to increase CA adoption to accelerate sustainable development of China agriculture.

Relationship Between Soil and Water Conservation Practices and Soil Conditions in Low Mountain and Hilly Region of Northeast China

The soil and water conservation practices of ecological restoration(ER),fish scale pit(FP),furrow and ridge tillage across the slope(FR),shrub strips(SS),and vegetation-covered ridge(VR)are characteristic of the Jixing small watershed of the low mountain and hilly region of Jilin Province,Northeast China.This study aims to elucidate the effects of soil and water conservation practices on soil conditions after the short-term implementation of practices.Soil samples were collected from five soil and water conservation sites(ER,FP,FR,SS,and VR)and two controls(BL and CT)to investigate their properties.To evaluate the influence of soil and water conservation practices on soil quality,an integrated quantitative index,soil quality index(QI),was developed to compare the soil quality under the different soil and water conservation practices.The results show that not all soil and water conservation practices can improve the soil conditions and not all soil properties,especially soil organic carbon(SOC),can be recovered under soil and water conservation practice in short-term.Moreover,the QI in the five soil and water conservation practices and two controls was in the following order:ER>VR>BL>FR>CT>SS>FP.ER exhibited a higher soil quality value on a slope scale.In the low mountain and hilly region of Northeast China,ER is a better choice than the conversion of farmlands to planted grasslands and woodlands early in the soil and water conservation program.

Analysis of Coupling between Soil and Water Conservation and Economic-social Development

The coupling relation exists in water and soil conser-vation and economic-social development. The article analyses the relation of soil and water conservation and economic-social development stages as well as the coupling analytical method. Then calculates the expecting income by dispersing Markov decision and calculates the correlation coefficient and the re-lationship degree. The article obtains the relationship of soil and water conservation investments and all kinds of incomes. Finally, it analyzes the important meaning in socio-economic development of water and soil conservation.

Regions and Their Typical Paradigms for Soil and Water Conservation in China

China is experiencing conflicts between its large population and scarce arable land,and between a demand for high productivity and the severe soil erosion of arable land.Since 1949,China has committed to soil and water conservation(SWC),for which eight regions and 41 subregions have been developed to improve the environment and increase land productivity.To obtain information from the regional planning and strategies for SWC and to explore whether SWC practices simultaneously contribute to soil conservation,ecosystem functioning,and the livelihoods of local farmers,and to summarize the successful experiences of various SWC paradigms with distinct characteristics and mechanisms of soil erosion,this paper systematically presents seven SWC regions(excluding the Tibetan Plateau region)and 14 typical SWC paradigms,focusing on erosion mechanisms and the key challenges or issues in the seven regions as well as on the core problems,main objectives,key technologies,and the performance of the 14 typical paradigms.In summary,the 14 typical SWC paradigms successfully prevent and control local soil erosion,and have largely enhanced,or at least do not harm,the livelihoods of local farmers.However,there remain many challenges and issues on SWC and socioeconomic development that need to be addressed in the seven SWC regions.China,thus,still has a long way to go in successfully gaining the win-win objective of SWC and human aspects of development.

Water and Soil Conservation in Taiwan Based on Theoretical Research of Water and Soil Ecology

Taiwan has always attached great importance to management of mountain slopes, and its steepslope water and soil conservation system has been a reference for the water and soil conservation in hot and rainy regions. From the perspective of water and soil ecology theory, new forms of water and soil loss emerged since the industrialization and urbanization of Taiwan, also known as hidden water and soil loss, such as soil hardening, change of original landform, destruction of ecological landscape etc.. These losses should be controlled through water and soil conservation measures such as initial involvement, dynamic analysis, systematic treatment and disaster avoidance, all production and construction activities should follow three elements(water, soil and vegetation) and their correlation laws, in order to maintain water and soil ecological balance. By integrating water and soil ecological concepts, water and soil conservation in Taiwan will make more progress.

Integrating water use systems and soil and water conservation measures into a hydrological model of an Iranian Wadi system

Water resources are precious in arid and semi-arid areas such as the Wadis of Iran. To sustainably manage these limited water resources, the residents of the Iranian Wadis have been traditionally using several water use systems(WUSs) which affect natural hydrological processes. In this study, WUSs and soil and water conservation measures(SWCMs) were integrated in a hydrological model of the Halilrood Basin in Iran. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) model was used to simulate the hydrological processes between 1993 and 2009 at daily time scale. To assess the importance of WUSs and SWCMs, we compared a model setup without WUSs and SWCMs(Default model) with a model setup with WUSs and SWCMs(WUS-SWCM model). When compared to the observed daily stream flow, the number of acceptable calibration runs as defined by the performance thresholds(Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE)≥0.68, –25%≤percent bias(PBIAS)≤25% and ratio of standard deviation(RSR)≤0.56) is 177 for the Default model and 1945 for the WUS-SWCM model. Also, the average Kling–Gupta efficiency(KGE) of acceptable calibration runs for the WUS-SWCM model is higher in both calibration and validation periods. When WUSs and SWCMs are implemented, surface runoff(between 30% and 99%) and water yield(between 0 and 18%) decreased in all sub-basins. Moreover, SWCMs lead to a higher contribution of groundwater flow to the channel and compensate for the extracted water by WUSs from the shallow aquifer. In summary, implementing WUSs and SWCMs in the SWAT model enhances model plausibility significantly.

A review of soil and water conservation in China

The preservation and sustainable development of soil and water resources isone of the basic principles for the development of China. Throughout the course of history, all thesocial improvement and economic development are deeply concerned with soil loss and ecologicalenvironmental protection. It is now a common sense that soil and water conservation is the safetyinsurance for national ecology and its development. For the past long period of time, soil and waterloss has been recognized as 'the No.1 killer' to the ecological environment. The nation is on thestags of the critical conditions for its development. China has massive mountain and upland areawith complicated geological conditions and accelerated human destruction and serious soil and waterloss. Based on rich historical documents, renovating experience and detailed analysis of the datacollected in field experiments and field surveys for soil and water conservation, this paper aims toreview the general characteristics of soil and water loss, to explore the relationship between soiland water conservation and sustainable economic development, and to provide relevant strategies forsoil and water conservation in China.

Soil water characteristics in mountain poplar stand and its benefits to soil and water conservation in loess hilly region

The soil physical properties,its water characteristics and the benefits to soil and water conservation in mountain poplar stand were determined and studied. The results of the study show that the compaction in soil profile is relatively homogeneous.the specific gravity and volume weight of soil increase with deepening of soil horizon. The water infiltration rate of soil in the stand is 17,6 times as high as in rangeland.Owing to the intense absorption of water by root system of plants,a drying layer is formed in soil horizon from 2.3 m to 2.7m,showing that the subsoil moisture is in the state of deficit. The annual water storage capacity in 2 m of soil horizon is 360 mm 370mm,or 63% 65% of annual precipitation. Compared with farmland,mountain poplar stand reduces the surface runoff and soil loss by 70% and 99%,respectively,indicating the great benefits to soil and water conservation.

Driving forces and their interactions of soil erosion in soil and water conservation regionalization at the county scale with a high cultivation rate

Soil erosion control based on county scale Soil and Water Conservation Regionalization(SWCR)is an essential component of China's ecological civilization construction.In SWCR,the quantitative analysis of the spatial heterogeneity and driving factors of soil erosion among different regions is still lacking.It is of great significance for soil erosion control to deeply examine the factors contributing to soil erosion(natural,land use,and socioeconomic factors)and their interaction at the county and regional levels.This study focused on a highly cultivated area,Hechuan District of Chongqing in the Sichuan Basin.The district(with 30 townships)was divided into four soil and water conservation regions(Ⅰ-Ⅳ)using principal component and hierarchical cluster analysis.The driving factors of soil erosion were identified using the geographical detector model.The results showed thatⅰ)the high cultivation rate was a prominent factor of soil erosion,and the sloping farmland accounted for 78.4%of the soil erosion in the study area;ⅱ)land use factors demonstrated the highest explanatory power in soil erosion,and the average interaction of land use factors explained 60.1%of soil erosion in the study area;ⅲ)the interaction between natural factors,socioeconomic factors,and land use factors greatly contributes to regional soil erosion through nonlinear-enhancement of double-factor enhancement.This study highlights the importance of giving special attention to the effects of land use factors on soil erosion at the county scale,particularly in mountainous and hilly areas with extensive sloping farmland and a high cultivation rate.

Benefit measurement of the soil and water conservation for ecological forestry engineering

Data were collected from Three-north Region, Middle and upper reaches region of Yangtze River and Coastal region. By analysis of factors influencing soil erosion, the longitude, latitude, annual precipitation, and the slope degree were selected as regional independent variables and canopy density and stock litter were selected as independent variables, and integral diffusing models were established for evaluation of the benefit of soil and water conservation of forest. By solving the parameters of models using the package of STATISTICA, the Power function between independent variables and dependent variables was set up. The soil conservation amount of forest and economic values were estimated using the contrast method for the ecological forestry engineering of the above three areas.