Policy strategy for ecosystem conservation of the minqin oasis of Northwest China

Yue D. et al., 2012. Pakistan Journal of Botany

Original research (primary data)

Abstract

The policy dimensions of endangered ecosystem conservation have recently received increased interest. This study focuses on the severely-degraded Minqin oasis of arid northwest China, which faces a similar fate to the vanished Lop Nur oasis. From 2000-2009, a series of conservation policies have been issued to prevent and control local desertification, including the “water-saving, emigration and sandy dune control & forestation” projects. Our objectives were to summarize the validity of these policies and offer an integrated paradigm for endangered ecosystem conservation using a range of methods, including GIS-based landscape analysis, field survey and historic document analysis. Our results indicate that conservation projects have played critical roles in water-saving, society establishment and natural resource management in the Minqin oasis. Over our study period, total water consumption decreased from 7.72 x 108 m3 to 5.36 x 108 m3 and the average area of fallowed cropland for ecological conservation increased to 4438.02 ha per year. Average annual forestation area was kept to 5020.5 ha and the average annual area of controlling sandy dunes was 2163.08 ha. Emigration policy was found to have led to a low birthrate of 5.15%, which will alleviate local population pressure and natural resource consumption. Based on these findings, it can be argued that conservation projects inhibited the aggravation of vegetation cover and the degradation of the groundwater table. Subsequently, we offer a tentative integrated conceptual model of policy strategy for the biophysical and socioeconomic conservation of endangered ecosystems in arid areas. The positive and negative effects of these policies are also discussed.

Case studies

Basic information

  • Case ID: INT-232-2
  • Intervention type: Created habitats
  • Intervention description:

    Project of Sandy Dunes Control and Forestation (SDCF) The SDCF was designed to control the extension of moving sandy dunes using the methods of establishing sand barriers and building forest shelter belts. These included grass square checkerboard barriers, clay sand barriers and fence sand barrier, etc the SDCF project played a critical role in newly-built forest shelter belt and artificial grassland The SDCF itself required the involvement of people to plant trees/forest shelterbelts through the EP program.

  • Landscape/sea scape ecosystem management: Yes
  • Climate change impacts Effect of Nbs on CCI Effect measures
    Biomass cover loss  Positive increase in the areas of forest land and rangeland (Ha), they also measure changes in ndvi coinciding with the intervention period
  • Approach implemented in the field: Yes
  • Specific location:

    Minqin oasis, downstream of Shiyang River watershed of northwest China (102°03´-104°03´E-38°05´- 39°06´N). It is an administrative county of Wuwei City, Gansu Province and geographically lies in the northeastern Hexi Corridor.

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

Evidence

  • Notes on intervention effectivness: the SDCF became effective (from an afforestation standpoint) only after strict government measures in 2005 and the implementation of the RC & PH (grey infrastructure intervention), through their benefits on saving and regulating water. The water saved by the fallowing of agricultural land permitted artificial forestation (which draws water) Initially, the SDCF project was put into practice with a limited effect on ecological restoration In 2005 the government imposed stricter measures Since implementation of PH and RC in 2005 -> increase in forest land and rangeland (so resulting from combination of grey infrastructure and fallowing of formerly agricultural land) Since 2005 the sdcf built a forest shelterbelt and artificial grassland, and in combination with the EP (emigration policy) reduced pressure on vegetation cover 2005-2009- artificial forestation increased to 5000 ha per year, which stabilized a 2000 ha of sand dunes each year NOTE however that the 'increase uptake of water for afforestation degraded topsoil quality of fallowed agricultural land (loss of water)'
  • 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?: No
  • Impacts on GHG: Not applicable
  • Assess outcomes of the intervention on natural ecosystems: No
  • Impacts for the ecosystem: Not reported
  • Ecosystem measures: see int-232-1 notes
  • Assess outcomes of the intervention on people: No
  • Impacts for people: Not reported
  • People measures: see int-232-1 notes
  • 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:

Basic information

  • Case ID: INT-232-1
  • Intervention type: Restoration
  • Intervention description:

    Project of Returned Cropland for Ecological Conservation (RC). One intervention, among a concerted set of 4 state interventions. The RC was designed to save a large amount of water usage in agriculture by fallowing (returned almost 20 thousand ha cropland for ecological conservation) because total water consumption in cropland production was >80% of the total available water resource. Financial compensation was 3 thousand RMB per ha. Over 12,000 sets of sunlight palm houses (covering over 1,600 ha) were established as intensive agricultural systems to compensate the loss of fallowed croplands. Here, we are coding for the effect of the fallowing specifically

  • Landscape/sea scape ecosystem management: Yes
  • Climate change impacts Effect of Nbs on CCI Effect measures
    Biomass cover loss  Positive increase in the areas of forest land and rangeland (Ha), they also measure changes in ndvi coinciding with the intervention period
    Reduced water availability  Positive changes in Total water resource consumption (M3)
  • Approach implemented in the field: Yes
  • Specific location:

    Minqin oasis, downstream of Shiyang River watershed of northwest China (102°03´-104°03´E-38°05´- 39°06´N). It is an administrative county of Wuwei City, Gansu Province and geographically lies in the northeastern Hexi Corridor.

  • Country: China
  • Habitat/Biome type: Ecosystem not specified |
  • Issue specific term: Not applicable

Evidence

  • Notes on intervention effectivness: The main effect was water saving; reducing land under agriculture led to reduced water consumption, in turn, this spurred what they frame as 'ecological restoration' i.e. increase in the areas of forest land and rangeland. They attribute change in this parameter to this intervention as well as INT-232-2; the SDFC (created forest/grassland). it is not coded for ecosystem assessment because they are not measuring or assessing the interventions impact on natural ecosystems or biodiversity specifically not coded for social outcomes because the social outcomes of this intervention is not directly assessed; they discuss the social dimensions of other interventions which took place but are not NBS (Emigration policy)
  • 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?: No
  • Impacts on GHG: Not applicable
  • Assess outcomes of the intervention on natural ecosystems: No
  • Impacts for the ecosystem: Not reported
  • Ecosystem measures: The overall intervention is framed as an 'ecosystem restoration/connservation intervention' and the overall outcome is ' Based on these findings, it can be argued that conservation projects inhibited the aggravation of vegetation cover and the degradation of the groundwater table'. So they interpret the positive changes in biomass cover, and the reduced degradation of the groundwater table as indicative of a healthier ecosystem.. However, it is not coded for ecosystem assessment because they are not measuring or assessing the interventions impact on natural ecosystems or biodiversity specifically
  • Assess outcomes of the intervention on people: No
  • Impacts for people: Not reported
  • People measures: n/a
  • 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: