Restoring The Earth - Loess Plateau

In Northwest China's Loess Plateau, an area roughly the size of France and the birthplace of Chinese civilization, agriculture and grazing practices over thousands of years have transformed the once lush forests into a dry and degraded ecosystem. As the yellow loess soil eroded, the silt raised the riverbed, causing seasonal flooding by the Yellow River. This, in turn, is bringing drought and famine. The Yellow River, also known as "China's Sorrow" has flooded more than 1,500 times.

In 1995, The World Bank and the Chinese government began the "Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project"-its largest development project to date. It ambitiously set out to restore what was destroyed over 10,000 years. Working with Chinese planners from the Ministry of Water Resources, international planners from the World Bank managed, over a span of 10 years, to reshape the hydrology, soil dynamics, forestry, agriculture practices, and economic viability of the land. Radically restructuring local land use practices and engaging villagers to participate, the Project resulted in vast ecological improvements and new economic opportunities for the locals. "The Lessons of the Loess Plateau" is a hopeful representation of how to protect our natural systems, even those previously thought impossible to save.

Видео Restoring The Earth - Loess Plateau канала Trost Outdoors