Karst rocky desertification in southwestern China

In China, karst rocky desertification, is one of the major types of land desertification and resulted from the comprehensive action due to the overprint of irrational anthropological activities on the karst fragile eco-geo-environment background，with the fragile eco-geo-environment as its development base，frequent anthropological activity as its driving forces, degeneration of land productivity as its essence，appearance of desert-like landscape as its mark．

As the most serious eco-geologically environmental problem daily expanding karst rocky desertification is engorging living space and becomes the root of disaster and poverty in southwest China; it is especially true for Guizhou Province, which lies in the center of karst areas in the southwest. Karst rocky desertification, drought and water deficiency are the main environmental problems in karst areas in southwestern China.

The fragile ecologic environment in southwestern China was formed through long-time geological evolution and has obvious constraints on karst rocky desertification．Tectonic movements created a steep and ruptured special karst geomorphological frame-work，providing potential energy as driving forces for soil erosion．The evolution of palaeo-environment laid down widespread material basis of carbonate rocks for karst rocky desertification．Population pressure and irrational anthropological activities in the karst areas led to the serious degeneration of land resources，the drastic decrease of vegetation coverage，the deterioration of water loss and soil erosion and the serious deterioration of the ecological environment．Moreover，the overloaded social and economic pressure is the most important driving force for karst rocky desertification．Although the comprehensive taming of karst rock desertification is a hard net to crack．it is possible to restore or rehabilitate the eco-environment in karst rocky desertification-afflicted areas．

Following pictures may provide you a vivid impression.

A typitical karst basin (polje) in karst regions in Guizhou Province



 Were there no soil, trees have to grow on stones, crevice, or even in water.







Rock is no more hard, when water continue for thousands of years.



When soil is scarce in karst regions,  even trees are not living a easy life.



Corns grown on steep slopes, may causing soil losing after years.










Water deficiency is  common  in karst regions, but it is not the case undergrond.



Something must to be done to solve the problem.



Landcape in autumn in karst regions



A strong contrast of vegetation.





Karst rocky desertification around Guizhou Province.