Water and wind erosion response to ecological restoration measures in China's drylands

Abstract

Soil erosion is the most severe form of land degradation threatening terrestrial ecosystems globally. Drylands with fragile ecosystems are particularly sensitive to soil erosion. China's drylands face the threat of soil erosion by wind and water. Currently, more studies need to be focused on wind and water erosion response to ecological restoration measures at monthly resolution in these areas. This is key to understanding ecological restoration measures' effectiveness under changing environments. Here, we assessed the monthly water and wind erosion in China's drylands from 2001 to 2020 using the G2 model and revised wind erosion equation (RWEQ). The Sequential linear regression slopes (SeRGS) explored water and wind erosion intensities. We also discuss the mitigation benefits of two ecological restoration measures, afforestation and grassland restoration. The results showed that water and wind erosion in China's drylands is mild (47.35%) and slight (58.76%). Water erosion increased between 2001 and 2020, while wind erosion decreased. At the monthly level, a higher water and wind erosion rate occurred from April to June and February to March, respectively. Water erosion dominated 50.64% of the China's drylands, while wind erosion was the most critical form of erosion in 47.88%. Nevertheless, the erosion pattern in China's drylands is changing. The average mitigation benefits of afforestation on water and wind erosion were −61.12% and −57.05%, respectively, and the average mitigation benefits of grassland restoration on water and wind erosion were −57.05% and 7.95%, respectively. This study can help managers identify the best ecological restoration strategies to mitigate land degradation in drylands.