Comprehensive evaluation and indicator system of land desertification in the Heihe River Basin

Two landscape evaluation approaches, an integrated model and an ecological analysis method, based on landscape elements and environmental quality, respectively, were used to describe land desertification in the Heihe River Basin of northwestern China, by evaluating the current state of the local ecosystems and environment. Based on national water-quality criteria and fuzzy cluster analysis methods, surface water quality was divided into 5 grades with corresponding evaluation scores (evaluation rating threshold of water pollution), while groundwater quality was divided into 5 grades based on salinity and solute chemistry. For grassland ecosystems, grass yield (biomass) and types were the main indicators used. The soil component was described according to factors including its nutrient content, thickness, texture and degree of desertification, for a total of 11 evaluation indicators. Total vegetation cover is one of the 5 indicators chosen to describe the plant ecosystem. Based on conditions currently prevailing in the study region, evaluation factors such as total output value of agricultural, industrial, forestry and animal husbandry activities, the ratio of irrigation area to farmland area, the mean output return per unit area farmland, the level of education and per capital income were selected among others to characterize the social and economic situation. In total, 32 typical environment evaluation factors were selected, classifying land desertification in the region into four zones.