Review

Constructing ecological-protecting barrier: Basic research of rainfall runoff regulation and application in the Loess Plateau of China and its implications for global arid areas

Zhao Xining¹, Wu Pute¹*, Feng Hao¹, Wang Youke¹ and Shao Hongbo^2,3,4

¹National Engineering Research Center for Water-saving Irrigation at Yangling, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Northwest A and F University, Yangling 712100, China.

²Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou 256603, China.

³Institute for Life Sciences, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China.

⁴Yantai Institute of Costal Zone Research for Sustainable Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: wuputevip@sina.com and shaohongbochu@126.com. Tel.: +86-29-87082802. Fax: +86-29-87082802.

Accepted 4 September, 2009

   Abstract

Loess Plateau is one of most eco-fragile and poverty-stricken areas in China. Drought and soil erosion are the two major obstacles to restrict economic development here. Rainfall runoff is the leading factor causing soil and water loss in this region. Rainfall runoff regulation and utilization is the inheritance, innovation and development for scientific theories of soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau, which gives prominence to scientific gathering and detracting of rainfall runoff in terms of space and time and emphasizes on solving the drought and soil erosion by active control means and realizes the unity of regulation, preservation and utilization of rainfall runoff in space and time. The paper analyzed the progress of the applied research of rainfall runoff regulation and utilization from 4 aspects, such as the operational rules of rainfall runoff, the potential of rainfall runoff regulation and utilization, the optimal allocation of rainfall runoff and the environmental effects of rainfall runoff regulation and utilization. It also made the analysis on the current situation of rainfall runoff utilization technology. At last, the paper suggested some cases for rainfall runoff regulation and utilization in the Loess Plateau. Rainfall runoff not only brings about the integration of ecological reconstruction with economic development in the Loess Plateau, but also provides a new approach to the sustainable development as well as removing two of the biggest stumbling blocks, drought and soil erosion, in the Loess Plateau of China, which will provide more information for rainfall runoff utilization in the arid areas of the world.

Key words: Loess Plateau, rainfall runoff, regulation and utilization, basic research, utilization technology, eco-environment.