Models of soil and water conservation and ecological restoration in the loess hilly region of China

Ecological degradation characterized by severe soil erosion and water loss is the most imposing ecological-economic issue in the Loess Hilly Region; the soil and water conservation (SWC) and ecological restoration are crucial solutions to this issue. It is of importance to explore SWC models for ecological reconstruction compatible with local socioeconomic and environmental conditions. The paper reviewed on SWC and ecological rehabilitation researches and practices and mainly concerned on eight small-scale (small catchments) models and Yan’an Meso-scale model in the Loess Hilly Region. To evaluate the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of these models, their validities were examined using the participatory rural appraisal. The results indicated that SWC and ecological restoration at different scales have played important roles both in local economic development and environmental improvement and provided an insight into sustainable economic development on the Loess plateau in the future. Furthermore, this paper strengthens our belief that, under improved socioeconomic conditions, SWC and ecological reconstruction can be made sustainable, leading to a reversal of the present ecological degradation.