Degraded ecosystems in China: status, causes, and restoration efforts

The total area of China is about 9.6 million km². Among the terrestrial ecosystems, cropland area is about 1.33 billion ha, 78% of which is degraded land; forestland area is about 1.75 billion ha, 72% of which is forest deterioration; grassland area is 3.99 billion ha, 90% of which has already degraded. Derelict mining land area is about 6 million ha, which is increasing by 12,000 ha/year. So far, only 8% of the total derelict mining land area has been reclaimed. A total lake area of 1.3 million ha has been lost since 1950; 50% of the coastal wetlands has been reclaimed. The mangrove area has declined from 40,000 ha in 1957 to 18,841.7 ha in 1986. With a total of 0.18 billion ha of water area, over 50% of it has been polluted to type III–V in terms of the Chinese Water Quality Standard Classification System. Oceanic area is about 4.73 billion ha, over 1.6% of which is also polluted. Environmental pollution is very severe in China, especially the environmental problems in rural and agricultural areas. Water resource is severely lacking and most river ecosystems are facing deterioration. The oceanic environmental problem is still fearful. Water and soil eroded areas have been increasing year after year and have become the most severe environmental issue in China. In addition, land desertification, prairie deterioration, and land salination have been increasing at an accelerating rate. Forest function has weakened and the current environment in derelict mining land areas are headachy. Biodiversity has been destroyed badly. The reasons for the deterioration of China’s environment are diverse, such as the pressure of a large population, industrialization, and its markets. The deterioration of the ecological index has already affected the current economic index and prospective economic growth directly and obviously.