Aerial Seeding Promotes the Restoration of Ecosystem Health in Mu Us Sandy Grasslands in China
Yina Ma,
Shixiong Wang,
Qing Zhang,
Kun Guo,
Yuejun He,
Danmei Chen,
Mingzhen Sui,
Guangqi Zhang,
Lipeng Zang,
Qingfu Liu
Affiliations
Yina Ma
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Shixiong Wang
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Qing Zhang
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
Kun Guo
Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station & Research Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
Yuejun He
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Danmei Chen
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Mingzhen Sui
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Guangqi Zhang
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Lipeng Zang
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Qingfu Liu
Research Center of Forest Ecology, Forestry College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Grassland ecosystem health is related to global ecological problems, and large areas of grassland are threatened by degradation. Various measures, such as aerial seeding, have been applied to restore degraded grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of these measures remain unclear. In this study, based on the CVOR (condition, vitality, organization, and resilience) model, the entropy method was used to calculate the ecosystem health of aerial seeding restoration sites in the Mu Us sandy grassland, China. Then, the relationship between CVOR value, various indices in the model, and restoration time was measured using correlation analysis. The results show that (1) the vitality criterion layer has the highest weight in the CVOR model; (2) the cautionary hierarchy is the most (40.0%), and the healthy hierarchy is the opposite (10.0%) among all the restoration sites; and (3) 30-year aerial seeding can promote ecosystem health in sandy grasslands. This study demonstrates that aerial seeding is an effective method for restoring degraded grassland ecosystems and can guide future restoration measures and policies for degraded ecosystems.
