Hu, Z. (2021). Desertification in China: a history of centralized policies [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2021.92400
Desertification is a major environmental challenge that humankind is facing. It is present in all continents in the world, and it is mainly prompted by anthropogenic activities such as agriculture and land conversion. It also has interactions with climate change and many studies have found that warming temperatures will exacerbate desertification. Scientific research is working on promising techniques to rehabilitate degraded soils using microbial polymers and cyanobacteria inoculation. The aim is to increase the soil fertility by restoring its texture and water retention capacity. This research is focused on desertification in China where the northern drylands have been exposed to severe degradation since the mid-20th century. Sandstorms are a major concern in the mainland, to address this issue the central government has implemented wide afforestation policies since the 1980s. The historical origins of desertification in China will be illustrated with a performance review of the measures implemented. The aim is to show that centralized wide scheme policies have great shortcomings in addressing local issues and long-term effects of desertification. Despite the political impediments, the emerging Chinese civil society is trying to mitigate the lack of local involvement in environmental policies. Although the route is still long.