Practice and prospect of ecological restoration and water conservation for the rocky mountain areas in North China

The construction of ecological civilization and the protection of ecological environment are inevitable requirements of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is the basis of the realistic needs for realizing sustainable development of the economy and society for better ecological environment and beautification of China. In view of the severe degradation of the ecosystem, low environmental bearing capacity, weak infrastructure, poor natural conditions and resources, and poverty issues in the Taihang Mountain region, the Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences began (in the 1980s) a series of study on ecological restoration and sustainable development in low and hilly regions on the central region of the eastern slope of Taihang Mountain. Through 30 years of research, a relatively complete ecological restoration and management system for the rocky mountain areas in northern China has been established. This has provided experiences and demonstration for the construction of ecological civilization and protection of ecological environment in the mountain area. It has also helped the poor by fostering sustainable socioeconomic development. From the review and prospect of researches in the past 30 years, the paper summarized and discussed the practice and prospect of ecological restoration and water conservation in rocky mountain areas. The construction of forestry eco-engineering in the Taihang Mountain has mainly experienced three stages in the past 30 years. The initial stage was the determination of approaches and technical theories of ecosystem restoration in degraded mountain areas during the period from 1986 to 1996. There was also forestry eco-engineering that focused mainly on soil and water enrichment. The second stage was the study of key factors affecting the restoration and reconstruction of degraded mountain ecosystems and effective techniques and measurements of problem solutions during the period from 1997 to 2007. Specifically, in the runoff forestry research, a formula for calculating the distance between two soil and water enrichment projects in the Taihang Mountain was established. In terms of precipitation transformation and water transfer, the characteristics of seepage flow in shallow weathered and fractured rock masses and its response to the process of vegetation water consumption were determined. And the basic recharge path of precipitation-soil water-crack water in the binary structure of rock-soil, and the transfer regulations of preferential flows in interface of rock and soil and in crack nets were clarified. For regulating and utilizing precipitation resource, a new material for biological rainwater collection and the corresponding method for its' utilization were developed. The third stage was the exploration and development of mountain ecological industry and regional sustainable development since 2008. The technology for water-storage capacity of economic forest soil, afforestation techniques for difficult sites in rocky mountain areas, controlling techniques of ecological belts in economic forests, sound industrial development techniques for engineering zone in Beijing-Tianjin Aeolian Source, and undergrowth and circular economy, eco-tourism and other ecological industrialization technology systems had also been developed. Based on current researches, the future researches will be expanded to mountain regions in the upper reaches of Xiong'an New District, where has a high population density with frequent anthropological activities. The researches will mainly focus on the followings:a) integration of ecological environment and climate change monitoring in mountain, water, forest, lake and grass regions, including land greening, landscape construction, water conservation, soil erosion control and pollution prevention; b) investigation on succession processes and main driving factors from mountain shrub ecosystem to forest ecosystem under modern disturbance conditions; c) exploring the formation mechanism of flood and drought disaster in mountain regions, the regulation of precipitation resources and conservation of water resources; d) establishment of mountain ecological economic system by using industrial ecology with the ecological industrialization as the main focus. The findings will provide the scientific basis and technical support for building stable structures, well-functioning ecological environment support systems for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area. It also provides scientific references for water conservation and management of production, ecological functions of mountain ecosystems.