Analysis of Net Primary Productivity of Retired Farmlands in the Grain-for-Green Project in China from 2011 to 2020

Yuanming Xie, Zemeng Ma, Mingjie Fang, Weiguo Liu, Feiyan Yu, Jiajing Tian, Shuoxin Zhang () and Yan Yan ()
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Yuanming Xie: College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Zemeng Ma: College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Mingjie Fang: College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Weiguo Liu: Center for Ecological Forecasting and Global Change, College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Feiyan Yu: Center for Ecological Forecasting and Global Change, College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Jiajing Tian: Center for Ecological Forecasting and Global Change, College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Shuoxin Zhang: College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
Yan Yan: College of Forestry, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: The Grain-for-Green Project (GFGP), one of the largest ecological restoration projects in China, has made a significant contribution to carbon neutrality. However, the quantitative contribution to climate change and the driving forces of the carbon sequestration of retired farmlands remains unclear. To analyze the carbon dynamics of the retired farmlands and their driving forces, GlobeLand30 databases were used to identify retired farmlands from 2001 to 2020; in addition, net primary productivity (NPP) of the identified lands was estimated with the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA). Results showed that 131,298 km 2 of farmlands were retired from 2001 to 2010 (L01–10), and 130,225 km 2 were retired from 2011 to 2020 (L11–20). The largest areas of retired farmlands were South Central China (24%) in L01–10 and Northwest China (22%) in L11–20. The annual NPP increment of retired farmlands was the highest and most significant in Southwest China (26,455–28,783 GgC·year −1 for retired farmlands in L01–10 and 21,320–23,303 GgC·year −1 in L11–20). In this study, NPP had significantly positive correlations with temperature and precipitation as well as significant constraint relationships with rural population density and animal husbandry output value. The findings could provide suggestions for the further implementation of the GFGP and other restoration projects.

Keywords: carbon sequestration; driving force; CASA model; land use change; ecological restoration project (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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