Dhruba Bijaya G.C. | Tribhuwan University,Nepal (original) (raw)
Papers by Dhruba Bijaya G.C.
Environmental Management, 2013
This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role ... more This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role in the livelihood improvement of poor people in the rural areas of Nepal. The Community Forestry Program in Nepal has been a successful model for participatory action oriented especially in environmen tal governance and community-based forest management in developing countries which encompasses well-defined policies, institutions and practices. The program addresses the twin goals of forest conservation on one hand and livelihood improvement on the othe r hand. It is well known that there is a great diversity among resource users in terms of access, use and control over community forestry but still it is playing a large role in improving livelihood, increasing forest resources and also mitigating climate change. Promoting community forest management in Nepal can be an effective policy instrument for poverty eradication and improvement of overall living standards like in many developing c...
<strong><sup>Abstract: Climatic variability with temperature increase is serious conc... more <strong><sup>Abstract: Climatic variability with temperature increase is serious concern for wetland resource management and regulates the benefits. Key informant interview (n=5), focus group discussion (n=4) and household survey (n=60) were undertaken to appraise the local experience regarding status of wetland resources with climatic variability. Local households were stratified and chosen close settlement as respondents for the study. Meteorological data from 1979 to 2009 were used to analyze climatic trends where least-squares curve fitting technique was used to appraise trend. We observed both maximum mean temperature and minimum mean temperature have been annually increasing with the rate of 0.0490C and 0.0400C respectively, where overall temperature was found to be increased at the rate of 0.0450C annually. The mean maximum temperature was recorded ever the highest 280C in 2009, and seasonal maximum and minimum temperature trend of the winter was higher (0.051 and 0.067), which can be perceived as indication of global warming. The annual precipitation trend was increasing but Monsoon and winter precipitation was found to be decreasing, which directly affects wetland resource and agricultural productivity. Promotion of indigenous knowledge with training and education are suggested as the best option for coping the problems. Keywords: Local, Global warming, Meteorological Data, Eutrophication, Cope </sup></strong>
Pinus wallichiana forest occurs in the Himalayas at between 1800 and 3600 m and sometimes rarely ... more Pinus wallichiana forest occurs in the Himalayas at between 1800 and 3600 m and sometimes rarely up to 4400 m in elevation (Jackson, 1994). Although it is a strongly light-demanding tree species, it can also grow in moderate shade. It is one of the important tree species used in afforestation projects at higher elevations in Nepal. Terrestrial ecosystems play an important role Abstractt:Pinus wallichiana forest is the most important vegetation type in Mustang, Nepal, with a significant potential to mitigate climate change issues through carbon storage. However, little is known about the carbon stock of these pine forests, particularly in remote areas of Nepal. Forests play an important role in regional and global carbon (C) cycles, and estimates of total carbon flux in forest systems are important for evaluating the ecological and economic benefits to local people. The aim of this study is the estimation of net carbon stock and the documentation of the effects of elevation on carbon storage in Pinus wallichina forest. Total mean carbon stock for the forest as a whole was found to be 177.09 tC ha-1. Total forest carbon stock was significantly higher at lower elevation range of (2200-2500 m) as compared to middle and higher elevation ranges. Soil carbon stock was 1.33 times higher than tree biomass carbon. Further research in different climate types, soil types and forest age should be conducted for carbon storage in Pinus wallichina forests.
Rain use efficiency (RUE) is an important indicator for identifying the response of plant product... more Rain use efficiency (RUE) is an important indicator for identifying the response of plant production to variation in precipitation patterns, especially in semiarid ecosystem grasslands of Inner Mongolia. We have investigated the response and spatial patterns of RUE to precipitation patterns based on five years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2013) of records from semiarid ecosystem sites across Inner Mongolia. Our results showed that RUE ADM was lowest in the wettest year (2012) and highest in the year following the driest year (2008). There was no significant correlation between RUE ADM and RUE TDM in typical and desert steppe. RUE TDM was strongly correlated with both annual precipitation (AP) and growing season precipitation (GSP) compared to RUE ADM . RUE ADM , therefore, cannot be used in place of RUE TDM . RUE ADM increased with species richness. The relationship between RUE ADM and species richness was significantly correlated in meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe....
This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role ... more This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role in the livelihood improvement of poor people in the rural areas of Nepal. The Community Forestry Program in Nepal has been a successful model for participatory action oriented especially in environmental governance and community-based forest management in developing countries which encompasses well-defined policies, institutions and practices. The program addresses the twin goals of forest conservation on one hand and livelihood improvement on the other hand. It is well known that there is a great diversity among resource users in terms of access, use and control over community forestry but still it is playing a large role in improving livelihood, increasing forest resources and also mitigating climate change. Promoting community forest management in Nepal can be an effective policy instrument for poverty eradication and improvement of overall living standards like in many developing cou...
DHRUBA BIJAYA, G. C., Cheng SHENG-KUI, Gao QIJIE, Xu. ZENGRANG, Wang. LING-EN, Jyoti BHANDARI, Li... more DHRUBA BIJAYA, G. C., Cheng SHENG-KUI, Gao QIJIE, Xu. ZENGRANG, Wang. LING-EN, Jyoti BHANDARI, Liu XIAOJIE, Gao LIWEI and Cao XIAOCHANG, 2015. Can community forestry play a major role in the socio-economic enhancement of poor users in Nepal? Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 21: 378-383 Nepal is increasingly gaining world-wide recognition in participatory forestry and natural resource management, primarily through “Community Forestry” program which has a well documented history over three decades. This study was carried out in Tibrekot Community Forestry in Nepal focused on the local poor forest users with the objective to fi nd out the changes brought by the community forestry in the socio-economic enhancement of local forest users, to analyze the level of participation in community forestry management activities and to assess the ecological/economical aspects of the forest. The Participatory Rural Appraisal tools were used to collect the data from sampled households, key informants interview ...
Nepal has an abundance of opportunities for the ecotourism industry and is very rich in nature an... more Nepal has an abundance of opportunities for the ecotourism industry and is very rich in nature and culture. Despite having a lot of tourism potentialities there are still many places in Nepal that are yet to be explored. Gabhar valley is a beautiful village which has recently been listed as one of the 100 ecotourism destinations in Nepal. The objective of this study was to explore the potential eco-tourism attractions/features, ecotourism activities and perception of local people and visitors towards ecotourism in Gabhar valley. Data were collected through key informant interviews, questionnaire surveys with households, visitors and focus group discussions. Out of 440 households in the valley, 25 percent (n=110) households were selected randomly. Three point Likert scale disagree to agree (0-2) was employed in analyzing the perception of local people and visitors towards ecotourism. chi-square test was used to see the variation in the perception of local people. Simple descriptive s...
Ethnobotany of the Himalayas
Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences
Scientific Forest Management (SFM) is an emerging modality for managing forests of Nepal based on... more Scientific Forest Management (SFM) is an emerging modality for managing forests of Nepal based on active silvicultural interventions. It is an application of scientific methods to achieve the most efficient means to optimum utilization and revenue generation from forest resources. The plan and application of context-specific forest management alone with the cooperation of key stakeholders play a significant part in sustainable forest management. On the other hand, this usually helps in outlining power dynamics between the forestry sector bureaucracy and the user groups. Key forestry stakeholders, however, sometimes hold specific, and often conflicting, standards about forest management policies and goals. This study revealed that from the beginning of its implementation, the involvement of key stakeholders remained disputed, largely due to differences in understanding and interpretation of SFM. From the beginning, community forest users and their networks did not own the concept, as they were suspicious of recentralization and bureaucratic dominance in forest governance through SFM. Since then, trust-building environments have been adversely affected by traditionally rooted mistrust between government officials and community forest users. Besides, maintaining stakeholder relationships through regular and substantive meetings and simplifying the bureaucratic procedures for implementing and increasing the capacity of key players may be instrumental in achieving SFM objectives.
Journal of Resources and Ecology
Abstract: In Nepal, nearly half of the total land is covered by forest, which holds a potentially... more Abstract: In Nepal, nearly half of the total land is covered by forest, which holds a potentially important position in promoting rural livelihoods and in alleviating rural poverty. The rural landscape that encompasses an agrarian economy, a fragile ecology, and a complex and differentiated society is changing rapidly in Nepal today. Although poverty alleviation has been one of the top priorities for national development since 1976, poverty still remains widespread, persistent and it is also an acute problem in Nepal, where people are in a state of deprivation with regard to incomes, clothing, housing, healthcare, education, sanitary facilities and human rights. Thus, Nepal is considered as one of the poorest countries in South-Asia, with 25.2% people living below the poverty line. The objective of this study was to assess changes in poverty of forest users brought on by the community forestry program, in order to analyze the level of participation in community forestry management activities. For this study, Bajhang district was chosen as the study site, which is one of the poorest and most remote districts in the country of Nepal. Different Participatory Rural Appraisal methods such as face-to face interviews, focus group discussions and key informants' interviews including secondary data were used to gather information. The findings showed that the forest users' participation in meetings, discussion and other activities, like community forestry management or silvicultural operation related to community forestry, was high. The assessment found that 42.3%, 32.6% and 25.1% of respondents strongly agreed, agreed and were neutral, respectively, towards the idea that poverty reduction from community forests had occurred. The results showed almost all the respondents were depended upon agriculture and/or forest resources for their livelihoods. Different ecosystem services such as ethnomedicines, aesthetic value and ecotourism, control of soil erosion/land-slides, water recharge and soil fertility have increased due to the decomposition of leaf litter. This was apparent from the formulation of community forests. Poverty in rural areas of the country is still higher than in urban areas and the incidence of poverty is the highest in the Far western Province where this research was conducted, Therefore, the government, policy makers and other stakeholders should work hand-in-hand to effectively reduce the poverty that persists in Nepal.
European Ethnobotany, 2016
Journal of Mountain Science, 2016
The Hani Rice Terraces System, based on gravity-flow irrigation, is one of the Globally Important... more The Hani Rice Terraces System, based on gravity-flow irrigation, is one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) pilot sites selected by FAO in 2010. The water resource plays an important role in the sustainable development of this system. The value of water conserved by the forest is influenced by natural, economic and social factors. In this paper, the water quality, per capita water resources, per capita GDP and population density are chosen as indices to construct an index system for a comprehensive evaluation of water resources value. The weights of these indices are 0.443, 0.31, 0.141 and 0.106 respectively, which are determined by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The water resources value has been assessed by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model. The results show that the water resources value in the Hani Rice Terraces System is 4.25 RMB/m 3. Evaluating the value of water resources in the Hani Rice Terraces System can provide a reference for ecological compensation, for raising public awareness of the importance of protecting the system, and ultimately achieving its sustainable development.
Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2016
Abstract Land use changes in mountainous regions were greatly enhanced as the rapid development o... more Abstract Land use changes in mountainous regions were greatly enhanced as the rapid development of economy due to the expanded population in developing countries. Acting geographically as the basic unit of mountainous regions, valleys are the primary sites of economic activities. Therefore optimization of land use policy in valleys is of critical important to the sustainable development in mountainous regions. On the basis of land use data in 1995 and 2012, this study explored the changes of land use according to the assessment of varied topographic factors (i.e., altitude and slope) in typical valleys of the Beijing mountainous regions, China. Our results showed that the valley is an efficiently geographical unit to evaluate land use changes in mountainous regions. We also found that major land use changes in mountainous regions of Beijing from 1995 to 2012 were the dramatic losses of grassland to the cultivated and construction lands, while most of these changes took place at the altitude of 0–400m and the slope of 6–15°. Considering the ever increasing economic development in Beijing mountainous regions, the increases of the construction and cultivated lands are inevitable, however, the great changes at a steeper slope imply the need to tailor land use structure coming into line with topographic factors, and suggesting ecological barriers and water conservation must be exercised in the developments of these areas.
Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2015
Abstract: Evaluation of the ecological effects of eco-compensation policies helps analyze policy ... more Abstract: Evaluation of the ecological effects of eco-compensation policies helps analyze policy rationality and feasibility and provides scientific and practical bases for perfecting eco-compensation systems. Taking the key ecological function area of the Loess Plateau, China as a case study, we have evaluated ecosystem responses to the Grain-for-Green Project that commenced in 1999. Six indicators were selected to assess changes in ecosystem structure, quality and function. The results showed that implementation of the Grain-for-Green Project has reduced sloping cropland by 1571 km2 and increased ecological land by 1337 km2. The increase in ecological land alters ecosystem structures across the study area and the decline in sloping cropland reduces farming activity interference; both of these are conducive to the restoration of natural vegetation. From 2000 to 2010, the vegetation cover of grassland, desert and forest ecosystems increased 10.89%, 8.34% and 4.24% respectively and average NPP rose 51%, with an average annual growth rate of around 5%. This indicates that eco-compensation has promoted the improvement of ecosystem quality. Total biomass of ecosystems increased two times on average from 2000 to 2010, meaning that the carbon sequestration capacity of ecosystems also increased. The reduction in the area of water loss and soil erosion and the increase in retained runoff by forests indicate an improvement in ecosystem function and services on the Loess Plateau.
Environmental Management, 2013
This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role ... more This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role in the livelihood improvement of poor people in the rural areas of Nepal. The Community Forestry Program in Nepal has been a successful model for participatory action oriented especially in environmen tal governance and community-based forest management in developing countries which encompasses well-defined policies, institutions and practices. The program addresses the twin goals of forest conservation on one hand and livelihood improvement on the othe r hand. It is well known that there is a great diversity among resource users in terms of access, use and control over community forestry but still it is playing a large role in improving livelihood, increasing forest resources and also mitigating climate change. Promoting community forest management in Nepal can be an effective policy instrument for poverty eradication and improvement of overall living standards like in many developing c...
<strong><sup>Abstract: Climatic variability with temperature increase is serious conc... more <strong><sup>Abstract: Climatic variability with temperature increase is serious concern for wetland resource management and regulates the benefits. Key informant interview (n=5), focus group discussion (n=4) and household survey (n=60) were undertaken to appraise the local experience regarding status of wetland resources with climatic variability. Local households were stratified and chosen close settlement as respondents for the study. Meteorological data from 1979 to 2009 were used to analyze climatic trends where least-squares curve fitting technique was used to appraise trend. We observed both maximum mean temperature and minimum mean temperature have been annually increasing with the rate of 0.0490C and 0.0400C respectively, where overall temperature was found to be increased at the rate of 0.0450C annually. The mean maximum temperature was recorded ever the highest 280C in 2009, and seasonal maximum and minimum temperature trend of the winter was higher (0.051 and 0.067), which can be perceived as indication of global warming. The annual precipitation trend was increasing but Monsoon and winter precipitation was found to be decreasing, which directly affects wetland resource and agricultural productivity. Promotion of indigenous knowledge with training and education are suggested as the best option for coping the problems. Keywords: Local, Global warming, Meteorological Data, Eutrophication, Cope </sup></strong>
Pinus wallichiana forest occurs in the Himalayas at between 1800 and 3600 m and sometimes rarely ... more Pinus wallichiana forest occurs in the Himalayas at between 1800 and 3600 m and sometimes rarely up to 4400 m in elevation (Jackson, 1994). Although it is a strongly light-demanding tree species, it can also grow in moderate shade. It is one of the important tree species used in afforestation projects at higher elevations in Nepal. Terrestrial ecosystems play an important role Abstractt:Pinus wallichiana forest is the most important vegetation type in Mustang, Nepal, with a significant potential to mitigate climate change issues through carbon storage. However, little is known about the carbon stock of these pine forests, particularly in remote areas of Nepal. Forests play an important role in regional and global carbon (C) cycles, and estimates of total carbon flux in forest systems are important for evaluating the ecological and economic benefits to local people. The aim of this study is the estimation of net carbon stock and the documentation of the effects of elevation on carbon storage in Pinus wallichina forest. Total mean carbon stock for the forest as a whole was found to be 177.09 tC ha-1. Total forest carbon stock was significantly higher at lower elevation range of (2200-2500 m) as compared to middle and higher elevation ranges. Soil carbon stock was 1.33 times higher than tree biomass carbon. Further research in different climate types, soil types and forest age should be conducted for carbon storage in Pinus wallichina forests.
Rain use efficiency (RUE) is an important indicator for identifying the response of plant product... more Rain use efficiency (RUE) is an important indicator for identifying the response of plant production to variation in precipitation patterns, especially in semiarid ecosystem grasslands of Inner Mongolia. We have investigated the response and spatial patterns of RUE to precipitation patterns based on five years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2013) of records from semiarid ecosystem sites across Inner Mongolia. Our results showed that RUE ADM was lowest in the wettest year (2012) and highest in the year following the driest year (2008). There was no significant correlation between RUE ADM and RUE TDM in typical and desert steppe. RUE TDM was strongly correlated with both annual precipitation (AP) and growing season precipitation (GSP) compared to RUE ADM . RUE ADM , therefore, cannot be used in place of RUE TDM . RUE ADM increased with species richness. The relationship between RUE ADM and species richness was significantly correlated in meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe....
This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role ... more This review paper is designed to demonstrate how community forestry has played an important role in the livelihood improvement of poor people in the rural areas of Nepal. The Community Forestry Program in Nepal has been a successful model for participatory action oriented especially in environmental governance and community-based forest management in developing countries which encompasses well-defined policies, institutions and practices. The program addresses the twin goals of forest conservation on one hand and livelihood improvement on the other hand. It is well known that there is a great diversity among resource users in terms of access, use and control over community forestry but still it is playing a large role in improving livelihood, increasing forest resources and also mitigating climate change. Promoting community forest management in Nepal can be an effective policy instrument for poverty eradication and improvement of overall living standards like in many developing cou...
DHRUBA BIJAYA, G. C., Cheng SHENG-KUI, Gao QIJIE, Xu. ZENGRANG, Wang. LING-EN, Jyoti BHANDARI, Li... more DHRUBA BIJAYA, G. C., Cheng SHENG-KUI, Gao QIJIE, Xu. ZENGRANG, Wang. LING-EN, Jyoti BHANDARI, Liu XIAOJIE, Gao LIWEI and Cao XIAOCHANG, 2015. Can community forestry play a major role in the socio-economic enhancement of poor users in Nepal? Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 21: 378-383 Nepal is increasingly gaining world-wide recognition in participatory forestry and natural resource management, primarily through “Community Forestry” program which has a well documented history over three decades. This study was carried out in Tibrekot Community Forestry in Nepal focused on the local poor forest users with the objective to fi nd out the changes brought by the community forestry in the socio-economic enhancement of local forest users, to analyze the level of participation in community forestry management activities and to assess the ecological/economical aspects of the forest. The Participatory Rural Appraisal tools were used to collect the data from sampled households, key informants interview ...
Nepal has an abundance of opportunities for the ecotourism industry and is very rich in nature an... more Nepal has an abundance of opportunities for the ecotourism industry and is very rich in nature and culture. Despite having a lot of tourism potentialities there are still many places in Nepal that are yet to be explored. Gabhar valley is a beautiful village which has recently been listed as one of the 100 ecotourism destinations in Nepal. The objective of this study was to explore the potential eco-tourism attractions/features, ecotourism activities and perception of local people and visitors towards ecotourism in Gabhar valley. Data were collected through key informant interviews, questionnaire surveys with households, visitors and focus group discussions. Out of 440 households in the valley, 25 percent (n=110) households were selected randomly. Three point Likert scale disagree to agree (0-2) was employed in analyzing the perception of local people and visitors towards ecotourism. chi-square test was used to see the variation in the perception of local people. Simple descriptive s...
Ethnobotany of the Himalayas
Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences
Scientific Forest Management (SFM) is an emerging modality for managing forests of Nepal based on... more Scientific Forest Management (SFM) is an emerging modality for managing forests of Nepal based on active silvicultural interventions. It is an application of scientific methods to achieve the most efficient means to optimum utilization and revenue generation from forest resources. The plan and application of context-specific forest management alone with the cooperation of key stakeholders play a significant part in sustainable forest management. On the other hand, this usually helps in outlining power dynamics between the forestry sector bureaucracy and the user groups. Key forestry stakeholders, however, sometimes hold specific, and often conflicting, standards about forest management policies and goals. This study revealed that from the beginning of its implementation, the involvement of key stakeholders remained disputed, largely due to differences in understanding and interpretation of SFM. From the beginning, community forest users and their networks did not own the concept, as they were suspicious of recentralization and bureaucratic dominance in forest governance through SFM. Since then, trust-building environments have been adversely affected by traditionally rooted mistrust between government officials and community forest users. Besides, maintaining stakeholder relationships through regular and substantive meetings and simplifying the bureaucratic procedures for implementing and increasing the capacity of key players may be instrumental in achieving SFM objectives.
Journal of Resources and Ecology
Abstract: In Nepal, nearly half of the total land is covered by forest, which holds a potentially... more Abstract: In Nepal, nearly half of the total land is covered by forest, which holds a potentially important position in promoting rural livelihoods and in alleviating rural poverty. The rural landscape that encompasses an agrarian economy, a fragile ecology, and a complex and differentiated society is changing rapidly in Nepal today. Although poverty alleviation has been one of the top priorities for national development since 1976, poverty still remains widespread, persistent and it is also an acute problem in Nepal, where people are in a state of deprivation with regard to incomes, clothing, housing, healthcare, education, sanitary facilities and human rights. Thus, Nepal is considered as one of the poorest countries in South-Asia, with 25.2% people living below the poverty line. The objective of this study was to assess changes in poverty of forest users brought on by the community forestry program, in order to analyze the level of participation in community forestry management activities. For this study, Bajhang district was chosen as the study site, which is one of the poorest and most remote districts in the country of Nepal. Different Participatory Rural Appraisal methods such as face-to face interviews, focus group discussions and key informants' interviews including secondary data were used to gather information. The findings showed that the forest users' participation in meetings, discussion and other activities, like community forestry management or silvicultural operation related to community forestry, was high. The assessment found that 42.3%, 32.6% and 25.1% of respondents strongly agreed, agreed and were neutral, respectively, towards the idea that poverty reduction from community forests had occurred. The results showed almost all the respondents were depended upon agriculture and/or forest resources for their livelihoods. Different ecosystem services such as ethnomedicines, aesthetic value and ecotourism, control of soil erosion/land-slides, water recharge and soil fertility have increased due to the decomposition of leaf litter. This was apparent from the formulation of community forests. Poverty in rural areas of the country is still higher than in urban areas and the incidence of poverty is the highest in the Far western Province where this research was conducted, Therefore, the government, policy makers and other stakeholders should work hand-in-hand to effectively reduce the poverty that persists in Nepal.
European Ethnobotany, 2016
Journal of Mountain Science, 2016
The Hani Rice Terraces System, based on gravity-flow irrigation, is one of the Globally Important... more The Hani Rice Terraces System, based on gravity-flow irrigation, is one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) pilot sites selected by FAO in 2010. The water resource plays an important role in the sustainable development of this system. The value of water conserved by the forest is influenced by natural, economic and social factors. In this paper, the water quality, per capita water resources, per capita GDP and population density are chosen as indices to construct an index system for a comprehensive evaluation of water resources value. The weights of these indices are 0.443, 0.31, 0.141 and 0.106 respectively, which are determined by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The water resources value has been assessed by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model. The results show that the water resources value in the Hani Rice Terraces System is 4.25 RMB/m 3. Evaluating the value of water resources in the Hani Rice Terraces System can provide a reference for ecological compensation, for raising public awareness of the importance of protecting the system, and ultimately achieving its sustainable development.
Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2016
Abstract Land use changes in mountainous regions were greatly enhanced as the rapid development o... more Abstract Land use changes in mountainous regions were greatly enhanced as the rapid development of economy due to the expanded population in developing countries. Acting geographically as the basic unit of mountainous regions, valleys are the primary sites of economic activities. Therefore optimization of land use policy in valleys is of critical important to the sustainable development in mountainous regions. On the basis of land use data in 1995 and 2012, this study explored the changes of land use according to the assessment of varied topographic factors (i.e., altitude and slope) in typical valleys of the Beijing mountainous regions, China. Our results showed that the valley is an efficiently geographical unit to evaluate land use changes in mountainous regions. We also found that major land use changes in mountainous regions of Beijing from 1995 to 2012 were the dramatic losses of grassland to the cultivated and construction lands, while most of these changes took place at the altitude of 0–400m and the slope of 6–15°. Considering the ever increasing economic development in Beijing mountainous regions, the increases of the construction and cultivated lands are inevitable, however, the great changes at a steeper slope imply the need to tailor land use structure coming into line with topographic factors, and suggesting ecological barriers and water conservation must be exercised in the developments of these areas.
Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2015
Abstract: Evaluation of the ecological effects of eco-compensation policies helps analyze policy ... more Abstract: Evaluation of the ecological effects of eco-compensation policies helps analyze policy rationality and feasibility and provides scientific and practical bases for perfecting eco-compensation systems. Taking the key ecological function area of the Loess Plateau, China as a case study, we have evaluated ecosystem responses to the Grain-for-Green Project that commenced in 1999. Six indicators were selected to assess changes in ecosystem structure, quality and function. The results showed that implementation of the Grain-for-Green Project has reduced sloping cropland by 1571 km2 and increased ecological land by 1337 km2. The increase in ecological land alters ecosystem structures across the study area and the decline in sloping cropland reduces farming activity interference; both of these are conducive to the restoration of natural vegetation. From 2000 to 2010, the vegetation cover of grassland, desert and forest ecosystems increased 10.89%, 8.34% and 4.24% respectively and average NPP rose 51%, with an average annual growth rate of around 5%. This indicates that eco-compensation has promoted the improvement of ecosystem quality. Total biomass of ecosystems increased two times on average from 2000 to 2010, meaning that the carbon sequestration capacity of ecosystems also increased. The reduction in the area of water loss and soil erosion and the increase in retained runoff by forests indicate an improvement in ecosystem function and services on the Loess Plateau.