ABSTRACT
The macro-structure of China's terrestrial ecosystems is dependent on natural and socio-economic conditions, and varies from one region to another. In the 30 years from 1980 to 2010, change in China's macro-structural terrestrial ecosystems involved reductions in the total area occupied by forests, grasslands, water bodies and wetlands, deserts and other ecosystems and increases in the area devoted to farmland and settlement ecosystems. Under the influence of geographical differences in China's natural environment, the intensity of human activities, and different degrees of impact due to climate change, the changes in China's macro-structural terrestrial ecosystems varied. Changes in the macro-structural characteristics of territorial ecosystems are shaped by the natural geographical environment and human activities. The ecological protection and restoration benefits of the Mountain, River and Lake Project are at least threefold: forest restoration and water and soil loss control; wetland restoration and flood water regulation and storage; and biodiversity protection.
