Three decadal large‐scale ecological restoration projects across the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

AbstractAveraged over 4000 m in elevation, Tibetan Plateau (TP) functions as an important ecological security barrier in China. Alpine ecosystems present a trend of overall improvement under the influence of climate change and human activities, yet there are localized deteriorations. To improve the ecological function of the TP, large‐scale ecological restoration projects (ERPs) have been carried out over the past 30 years, which could be classified into three stages, that is, Exploration (1989–2003), Rapid Growth (2004–2014), and Comprehensive Development Stage (2015−present). With a total area of 850,000 km2, the ERPs include forest protection and construction, grassland protection and construction, water and soil erosion control, and desertification land management. The positive effect at the local scale has been widely verified, but the responses of productivity and species diversity were inconsistent. The positive effect at the regional scale gradually emerges, yet the spatial heterogeneity is significant, and the quantification of driving forces is an important prerequisite. There is a significant increase of rare wild animals in natural reserves, though it failed to curb the loss of animal and plant diversity in artificially planted areas. The long‐term effects of various ERPs on biodiversity should be taken into account so as to optimize the ecological measures and build a sustainable management model after project restoration. By summarizing the above achievements and problems of ERPs, we proposed a stepwise ecological restoration and adaptive management scheme by different restoration goals and reference modes, that is, “Environmental treatment—Ecological restoration projects—Adaptive management.”