Effects of National Ecological Restoration Projects on Carbon Sequestration in China from 2001 to 2010

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2018 Apr 19

PMID 29666317

Citations 60

Authors

Fei Lu

Huifeng Hu

Wenjuan Sun

Jiaojun Zhu

Guobin Liu

Wangming Zhou

Quanfa Zhang

Peili Shi

Xiuping Liu

Xing Wu

Lu Zhang

Xiaohua Wei

Limin Dai

Kerong Zhang

Yirong Sun

Sha Xue

Wanjun Zhang

Dingpeng Xiong

Lei Deng

Bojie Liu

Li Zhou

Chao Zhang

Xiao Zheng

Jiansheng Cao

Yao Huang

Nianpeng He

Guoyi Zhou

Yongfei Bai

Zongqiang Xie

Zhiyao Tang

Bingfang Wu

Jingyun Fang

Guohua Liu

Guirui Yu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The long-term stressful utilization of forests and grasslands has led to ecosystem degradation and C loss. Since the late 1970s China has launched six key national ecological restoration projects to protect its environment and restore degraded ecosystems. Here, we conducted a large-scale field investigation and a literature survey of biomass and soil C in China's forest, shrubland, and grassland ecosystems across the regions where the six projects were implemented (∼16% of the country's land area). We investigated the changes in the C stocks of these ecosystems to evaluate the contributions of the projects to the country's C sink between 2001 and 2010. Over this decade, we estimated that the total annual C sink in the project region was 132 Tg C per y (1 Tg = 10 g), over half of which (74 Tg C per y, 56%) was attributed to the implementation of the projects. Our results demonstrate that these restoration projects have substantially contributed to CO mitigation in China.

Citing Articles

Co-benefit of forestation on ozone air quality and carbon storage in South China.

Liu Z, Zhou M, Li D, Song T, Yue X, Lu X Nat Commun. 2025; 16(1):2429.

PMID: 40069169 PMC: 11897389. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57548-5.

Identification of degradation risk areas and delineation of key ecological function areas in Qinling region.

Xu X, Lin D, Yang Y, Liu J, Zou C, Lin N Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):4374.

PMID: 39910125 PMC: 11799172. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-87464-z.

Earthquakes Have Accelerated the Carbon Dioxide Emission Rate of Soils on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Shi P, Hu X, Yang H, Jiang L, Ma Y, Tang H Glob Chang Biol. 2025; 31(1):e70024.

PMID: 39794913 PMC: 11724165. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70024.

Assessing the ecological effects of the World's Largest Forestry Eco-engineering: Three-North Protective Forest Program within the initially scheduled range from 1978 to 2022.

Zheng X, Zhu J, Wang G, Yan Q, Sun T, Song L Sci China Life Sci. 2024; 68(2):314-327.

PMID: 39724394 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-024-2705-4.

Effects of Vegetation Restoration Type on Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Associated Microbial Regulation on the Loess Plateau.

Zhou J, Liu D, Xu S, Li X, Zheng J, Han F Ecol Evol. 2024; 14(12):e70688.

PMID: 39717645 PMC: 11664210. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70688.

References

Deng L, Liu G, Shangguan Z . Land-use conversion and changing soil carbon stocks in China's 'Grain-for-Green' Program: a synthesis. Glob Chang Biol. 2013; 20(11):3544-56. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12508. View

Bonan G . Forests and climate change: forcings, feedbacks, and the climate benefits of forests. Science. 2008; 320(5882):1444-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.1155121. View

Pan Y, Birdsey R, Fang J, Houghton R, Kauppi P, Kurz W . A large and persistent carbon sink in the world's forests. Science. 2011; 333(6045):988-93. DOI: 10.1126/science.1201609. View

Hu H, Wang S, Guo Z, Xu B, Fang J . The stage-classified matrix models project a significant increase in biomass carbon stocks in China's forests between 2005 and 2050. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:11203. PMC: 4480144. DOI: 10.1038/srep11203. View

Liu J, Li S, Ouyang Z, Tam C, Chen X . Ecological and socioeconomic effects of China's policies for ecosystem services. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008; 105(28):9477-82. PMC: 2474515. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0706436105. View

Zhang P, Shao G, Zhao G, Le Master D, Parker G, Dunning Jr J . China's forest policy for the 21st century. Science. 2000; 288(5474):2135-6. DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5474.2135. View

Fang J, Yang Y, Ma W, Mohammat A, Shen H . Ecosystem carbon stocks and their changes in China's grasslands. Sci China Life Sci. 2010; 53(7):757-65. DOI: 10.1007/s11427-010-4029-x. View

Liu W, Lu F, Luo Y, Bo W, Kong L, Zhang L . Human influence on the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of forest biomass carbon in China. Ecol Evol. 2017; 7(16):6220-6230. PMC: 5574751. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3188. View

Guo Z, Hu H, Li P, Li N, Fang J . Spatio-temporal changes in biomass carbon sinks in China's forests from 1977 to 2008. Sci China Life Sci. 2013; 56(7):661-71. DOI: 10.1007/s11427-013-4492-2. View

10.

Tang X, Zhao X, Bai Y, Tang Z, Wang W, Zhao Y . Carbon pools in China's terrestrial ecosystems: New estimates based on an intensive field survey. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018; 115(16):4021-4026. PMC: 5910800. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1700291115. View

11.

Piao S, Fang J, Ciais P, Peylin P, Huang Y, Sitch S . The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in China. Nature. 2009; 458(7241):1009-13. DOI: 10.1038/nature07944. View

12.

Xu W, Xiao Y, Zhang J, Yang W, Zhang L, Hull V . Strengthening protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services in China. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017; 114(7):1601-1606. PMC: 5321011. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1620503114. View

13.

Fang J, Guo Z, Hu H, Kato T, Muraoka H, Son Y . Forest biomass carbon sinks in East Asia, with special reference to the relative contributions of forest expansion and forest growth. Glob Chang Biol. 2014; 20(6):2019-30. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12512. View

14.

Lu F, Wang X, Han B, Ouyang Z, Duan X, Zheng H . Net mitigation potential of straw return to Chinese cropland: estimation with a full greenhouse gas budget model. Ecol Appl. 2010; 20(3):634-47. DOI: 10.1890/08-2031.1. View

15.

Zhou G, Liu S, Li Z, Zhang D, Tang X, Zhou C . Old-growth forests can accumulate carbon in soils. Science. 2006; 314(5804):1417. DOI: 10.1126/science.1130168. View

16.

Ouyang Z, Zheng H, Xiao Y, Polasky S, Liu J, Xu W . Improvements in ecosystem services from investments in natural capital. Science. 2016; 352(6292):1455-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf2295. View

17.

Fang J, Chen A, Peng C, Zhao S, Ci L . Changes in forest biomass carbon storage in China between 1949 and 1998. Science. 2001; 292(5525):2320-2. DOI: 10.1126/science.1058629. View

18.

Xu B, Guo Z, Piao S, Fang J . Biomass carbon stocks in China's forests between 2000 and 2050: a prediction based on forest biomass-age relationships. Sci China Life Sci. 2010; 53(7):776-83. DOI: 10.1007/s11427-010-4030-4. View

19.

Liu B, Lu F, Wang X, Liu W . [Greenhouse gas emissions, carbon leakage and net carbon sequestration from afforestation and forest management: A review.]. Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2018; 28(2):673-688. DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201702.004. View

20.

Liu B, Zhang L, Lu F, Wang X, Liu W, Zheng H . [Greenhouse gas emissions and net carbon sequestration of "Grain for Green" Program in China.]. Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2018; 27(6):1693-1707. DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201606.004. View