干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Desertification is one of the most significant global environmental threat to human survival and development. We conducted a research in ecologically fragile areas of the Loess Plateau in China, and obtained the research data from historical research, remote sensing, field research and other ways. Soil, vegetation, land use and management, and other socio-economic data were used to set up the desertification risk assessment model. The results indicated that the ESAI model made a good description of the spatial distribution pattern of the desertification risk in the Loess Plateau, and the human activities broke the long-term stability conditions of the natural ecosystem to some degree. It has reference and guiding significance for the desertification control, and provides the necessary decision support for the local government.