Spatially Differentiated Trends between Forest Pest-Induced Losses and Measures for Their Control in China

Qi Cai,Yushi Cai,Yali Wen

doi:10.3390/su11010073

Qi Cai, Yushi Cai + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010073

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Abstract

Historically, China has exhibited spatial differentiation in issues ranging from population distribution to ecological or economic development; forest pest-control work exemplifies this tendency. In recent times, global warming, man-made monoculture tree-plantations, increasing human population density, and intensified international trade aggravate forest pest outbreaks. Although the Chinese government has complied with internationally recommended practices, some aspects of pest management remain unaddressed due to existing differential regional imbalance in forest pest distribution and control capacities. Evidence shows that the high-income provinces in the south have taken advantage of economic and technological superiority, resulting in the adoption of more efficient pest-control measures. In contrast, the economically underdeveloped provinces of the northwest continue to experience a paucity of financial support that has led to serious threats of pest damage that almost mirror the demarcations of the Hu Huanyong Line. In this paper, we propose the introduction of a Public–Private–Partnership (PPP) model into forest pest control and the combination of the national strategies to enact regional prevention measures to break away from current spatially differentiated trends in China.

Highlights

Forest pests are considered the most expensive species in the world, causing gross yield losses of up to at least 10% to 16% before harvest, and are responsible for the destruction of more than 350 million ha of global forestland [1]
In this study, we aimed to (i) verify pest-induced forest losses and control measures mostly according to the “Hu line” distribution regularities; (ii) conduct an empirical assessment to analyze the causes of spatial differentiation in economic development, and pest-induced forest losses and control measures
We reviewed the literature on the economic aspects associated with pest management, starting from an international perspective, leading to China, using the Web of ScienceTM database and a special string of keywords related to pest-control management to identify the relevant papers

Summary

Introduction

Forest pests are considered the most expensive species in the world, causing gross yield losses of up to at least 10% to 16% before harvest, and are responsible for the destruction of more than 350 million ha of global forestland [1]. Invasive pests alone are associated with a cost of more than USD 7 billion [2]. They destroy forests and infrastructure, and spread diseases among humans and animals. The other major issue facing the Chinese government is the existence of serious spatial differences among provinces in both, pest-induced losses and pest-control measures. These striking contrasts attracted our research interest with respect to how the distribution on either side of the Hu Huanyong Line is regulated and the reasons for the observed differences among provinces

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