On July 12, 2018, the international top journal Nature published a long-term review paper "China's response to a national land-system sustainability emergency" by our Associate Professor Ye Yanqiong. The paper was led by Prof. Brett Bryan of Deakin University in Australia and Prof. Lei of the Federal Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research. Meanwhile, it was the results of collaborative research by 19 scientists from 16 research units in 3 countries (Australia, China, USA). Associate Professor Ye Yanqiong is the third author of the thesis, and our school ranks third among the participating units.

Through a large amount of data and in-depth analysis, the paper shows that China has made great achievements in improving the natural environment, sustainable development and rural people's livelihood. In the past 40 years, China has implemented the most active measures for the sustainable development of the land system in the history of mankind, and launched a series of investments including the Three-North Shelterbelt, natural forest protection, returning farmland to forests and grasslands, etc., which have huge impact in China and even in the world. In order to integrate China's experience in designing and implementing these major projects and to help China and other countries in the world achieve progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the research team scientifically examined 16 major projects in China aimed at improving the sustainable development of the environment and people's livelihood (three north shelter forest system construction project, national soil and water conservation key construction project, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and other key protection forest system construction projects, comprehensive agricultural development Project, key prevention and control project for soil and water conservation in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, national land improvement project, natural forest protection project, returning farmland to forest and grassland project, construction project of fast-growing and high-yield timber forest base in key areas, central financial forest ecological benefit compensation fund project, source of Beijing-Tianjin wind and sand source Governance Engineering, Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Construction Project, China-GEF Arid Ecosystem Land Degradation Prevention Partnership Project, Rock Desertification Comprehensive Control Project in Karst Area, Grassland Ecological Protection Subsidy Project, Cultivated Land Quality Protection and Improvement engineering).

The study found that since 1998, China's investment in sustainable development has increased dramatically. By 2015, the 16 projects invested a total of 350 billion U.S. dollars in 6.2 million square kilometers of land (65% of China's land area) and mobilized 500 million laborers to participate. This effort is unprecedented in the world. Although there are also imperfections, it does bring great benefits to the natural environment of the whole country and the improvement of people's lives. Although the United Nations put forward 17 sustainable development goals by the end of 2015, China's major series of projects have long been committed to solving many sustainable development goals. Such as alleviating the erosion, sedimentation and flooding of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, preventing desertification in the north, controlling rocky desertification in the southwest, reducing the impact of sandstorms on Beijing and nearby areas, protecting natural forest land, and improving the productivity of cultivated land.

The study also believes that the impact of China's sustainable development investment is positive. Deforestation rates have fallen, coverage has risen to 22%; grasslands have been regenerated and expanded; desertification trends have been effectively controlled in many areas (although this is mainly due to climate change, efforts to restore vegetation have also played a role). Soil erosion has been greatly reduced, and water quality and river sediments have improved significantly. At the same time, through technological advancement and efficiency improvements, agricultural productivity has increased and rural households have become generally wealthy.

Papers link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0280-2