Ecosystem Services and Ecological Restoration in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau, China, in Relation to Climate Fluctuation and Investments in Natural Capital

Basic information

• Case ID: INT-210-1
• Intervention type: Created habitats
• Intervention description:

  GFG involves the effort to return cultivated land on steep slopes to perennial vegetation and afforest barren hills and wasteland using a government payment scheme, which engages millions of rural households as core agents of project implementation it can be seen that 694 km2 and 556 km2 of croplands in 2000 have been replaced by woodlands (including scrublands) and grasslands, respectively, due to the GFG project. Woodland coverage increased by 10.13%, while cropland coverage decreased by 4.19% during the 11-year period. At the same time, the grasslands increased by only 0.13%, because many grasslands were converted into woodlands.

• Landscape/sea scape ecosystem management: Yes

• Climate change impacts	Effect of Nbs on CCI	Effect measures
  Reduced water availability	Negative	Water yield (10^3m^3) - measured over time across the study area WY is the result of the balancing of PPT and ET [29] and can be calculated as: WY = PPT - ET

• Approach implemented in the field: Yes
• Specific location:

  Located in northern Shaanxi Province, China (35 210–39 340 N and 107 410–110 310 E) (Figure 1b), Located in northern Shaanxi Province, China (35°21’–39°34’ N and 107°41’–110°31’ E) (Figure 1b), the NSLP covers an area of approximately 8.03 ⇥ 104 km2 and consists of 25 counties (Figure 1a) the NSLP covers an area of approximately 8.03 × 104 km2 and consists of 25 counties (Figure 1a) belonging to two prefectures, Yan’an and Yulin (Figure 1c). High in the west and becoming lower in the belonging to two prefectures, Yan’an and Yulin (Figure 1c). High in the west and becoming lower in east, the NSLP is a hilly, gullied area of the Loess Plateau [29,30]. The Mu Us desert in the northwest the east, the NSLP is a hilly, gullied area of the Loess Plateau [29,30]. The Mu Us desert in the of Yulin has a primarily psammophyte vegetation type. Huanglong Mountain and Ziwu Mountain northwest of Yulin has a primarily psammophyte vegetation type. Huanglong Mountain and Ziwu in southern Yan’an are the main forest-covered areas in the NSLP, and vegetation coverage there is Mountain in southern Yan’an are the main forest-covered areas in the NSLP, and vegetation coverage relatively high. The eastern section of the NSLP is flat, and land use categories there mainly consist of there is relatively high. The eastern section of the NSLP is flat, and land use categories there mainly cropland and grassland.

• Country: China
• Habitat/Biome type: Created forest |
• Issue specific term: Not applicable
  

Evidence

• Notes on intervention effectivness: Effectiveness of intervention determined by performing Correlation and partial correlation analysis to assess the contribution of GFGP (as indicated by cumulative afforested area) on the change in water yield "Through correlation coefficients between WY and cumulative afforested area in different periods, it seemed that we could not judge that WY was increased or decreased with the increasing of cumulative afforested area. However, the partial coefficients in different periods were consistent and indicated that WY was decreased with the increasing of cumulative afforested area." Also authors state that significant negative correlation between NDVI and water yield also indicating negative effect of veg restoration
• Is the assessment original?: Yes
• Broadtype of intervention considered: Not applicable
• Compare effectivness?: No
• Compared to the non-NBS approach: Not applicable
• Report greenhouse gas mitigation?: Yes
• Impacts on GHG: Positive
• Assess outcomes of the intervention on natural ecosystems: No
• Impacts for the ecosystem: Not reported
• Ecosystem measures:
• Assess outcomes of the intervention on people: No
• Impacts for people: Not reported
• People measures:
• Considers economic costs: No
• Economic appraisal conducted: No
• Economic appraisal described:
• Economic costs of alternative considered: No
• Compared to an alternative: Not reported

Evaluation methodology

• Type of data: Quantitative
• Is it experimental: No
• Experimental evalution done: Not applicable
• Non-experimental evalution done: Empirical case study
• Study is systematic: