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Soil erosion and management on the Loess Plateau

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Abstract

The Loess Plateau is well known to the world for its intense soil erosion. The root cause for river sedimentation of Yellow River (Huanghe) and its resultant “hanging river” in certain section is soil and water loss on the Loess Plateau. The Loess Plateau has a long cultivation history, hence population growth, vegetation degeneration and plugging constitute the chief reason for serious soil and water loss on Loess Plateau. This paper analyses several successful cases and failures in soil conservation, presents practical soil conservation technique and related benefit analysis, and discusses some effective methods adopted in China in soil erosion control, research directions and future perspectives on Loess Plateau.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, 100101, Beijing, China

    Cai Qiang-guo (Research Fellow)

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  1. Cai Qiang-guo
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Qiang-guo, C. Soil erosion and management on the Loess Plateau. J. Geogr. Sci. 11, 53–70 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02837376

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02837376

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