Exploiting pattern and sustainable development of marginal lands in the Three Gorge Reservoir Areas

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Wu, Gang | Li, Jing | Kong, Hong-mei | Zhao, Jing-zhu | Gao, Lin

Affiliations: Department of Ecology System, Research Center for Eco- Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China

Abstract: This paper studied the distribution and utilization status, reasonable exploitation patterns and potential productivity, and sustainable development of marginal lands in the Three Gorge Reservoir Areas. It has been pointed that problems of the soil fertility degradation, poor productivity in crop lands, natural disasters and environmental deterioration existed in all the exploited marginal lands. In order to maintain the sustainability of the marginal lands, following measure have been proposed: prohibiting cultivation in the crop lands with a slope more than 25º, restoring vegetation in the slope more than 25º, strengthening the basic agricultural construction, establishing the production base of woody feeds and oils, establishing a multi-dimensional management model with reasonable structure and optimumfunction for forestry, agriculture and fishing.

Keywords: marginal lands, Three Gorge Reservoir Area, sustainable development, utilization pattern

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 173-179, 2001