Unintended consequences of combating desertification in China

Xunming Wang, Quansheng Ge, Xin Geng, Zhaosheng Wang, Lei Gao, Brett A. Bryan, Shengqian Chen, Yanan Su, Diwen Cai, Jiansheng Ye, Jimin Sun, Huayu Lu, Huizheng Che, Hong Cheng, Hongyan Liu, Baoli Liu, Zhibao Dong, Shixiong Cao, Ting Hua, Siyu Chen, Fubao Sun, Geping Luo, Zhenting Wang, Shi Hu, Duanyang Xu, Mingxing Chen, Danfeng Li, Fa Liu, Xinliang Xu, Dongmei Han, Yang Zheng, Feiyan Xiao, Xiaobin Li, Ping Wang and Fahu Chen ()
Additional contact information
Xunming Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Quansheng Ge: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xin Geng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhaosheng Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lei Gao: CSIRO, Waite Campus
Brett A. Bryan: Deakin University
Shengqian Chen: Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITPCAS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Yanan Su: Lanzhou University
Diwen Cai: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jiansheng Ye: Lanzhou University
Jimin Sun: Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Huayu Lu: Nanjing University
Huizheng Che: Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences
Hong Cheng: Beijing Normal University
Hongyan Liu: Peking University
Baoli Liu: University of Oxford
Zhibao Dong: Shanxi Normal University
Shixiong Cao: Minzu University of China
Ting Hua: Northwest University
Siyu Chen: Lanzhou University
Fubao Sun: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Geping Luo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhenting Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shi Hu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Duanyang Xu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mingxing Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Danfeng Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fa Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xinliang Xu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Dongmei Han: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang Zheng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Feiyan Xiao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiaobin Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ping Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fahu Chen: Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITPCAS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Since the early 2000s, China has carried out extensive “grain-for-green” and grazing exclusion practices to combat desertification in the desertification-prone region (DPR). However, the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of these practices remain unclear. We quantify and compare the changes in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) with economic and population data in the DPR before and after the implementation of these environmental programmes. Here we show that climatic change and CO2 fertilization are relatively strong drivers of vegetation rehabilitation from 2001-2020 in the DPR, and the declines in the direct incomes of farmers and herders caused by ecological practices exceed the subsidies provided by governments. To minimize economic hardship, enhance food security, and improve the returns on policy investments in the DPR, China needs to adapt its environmental programmes to address the potential impacts of future climate change and create positive synergies to combat desertification and improve the economy in this region.

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36835-z Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-36835-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36835-z

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().