Biotechnical Stabilisation of Erosive Zones in the Loess Plateau of the Province Shanxi

The Loess Plateau of Shanxi is situated in the catchment area of the Yellow River. 60 % of the annual precipitation (200-500mm/year) occurs as heavy rainfall between July and September. Some of the deep slopes are used for agricultural purposes. After the dispossession of the local farmers during the revolution in the 1950s large scale consolidations of farming were carried out. The intensive land use and the agricultural exploitation involved massive soil erosion. Vertical gullies up to 100m deep transport enormous masses of suspended sediments into the Yellow River. Carrying an average of 38kg sediments per m¿ it is the world¿s most stressed river In the 1970s first steps of protection against soil erosion were set. The changing cultivation of corn, vegetables, herbs and fruits in horizontal rows improved the ecological and the agricultural situation considerably. The Department of Soil Bioengineering Landscape Construction collaborates with the College of Soil and Water Conservation on the reinforcement of the terrace banks. In this context the Bejing Forestry University installed a test station at the Loess Plateau of Shanxi to improve the planting of the problematic erosion scarps.