The land reclamation and its influence on environment in West Liaohe Basin from 1902 to 1990

Abstract

West Liaohe Basin is one of the key regions in the West development strategies implemented by the Chinese Government,and its eco-environment is vulnerable.Study on land reclamation and its influence on environment is the only way to explore the cause of land desertification and seek for the proper pattern of land use. (1)This paper examines changes of the land reclamation in West Liaohe Basin in about 100 years(1902-1990).At the end of the Qing Dynasty,it had no land to open up in the south of West Liaohe,but areas of plowland got increased in counties and Qis(banners) in the north of West Liaohe.In the period of Republic of China,much plowland was turned into wasteland in the south of West Liaohe,but in the north of West Liaohe,a great amount of grassland was developed into arable land.After liberation(1949),because of unreasonable land policies,all grassland was almost opened up completely. (2)Above all,natural environment in West Liaohe Basin has been greatly influenced.First,vegetation was destroyed,so the virgin forest of the Qing Dynasty now becomes the secondary forest dominately composed of mountain polar and white pirch,and the thick forest gets the thin one.Secondly,wild animals lost their natural living environment owing to vegetation destruction,so small animals such as rabbits,pheasants,crows,pied magpies and so on,now become rarer and rarer besides of macro-animals being extinct. (3)Soil erosion happened in the Qing Dynasty,lately reclamation took place at a large scale at the end of the Qing Dynasty,much plowland changed into wasteland in Republic of China,and extensive reclamation after liberation makes it on the rise.