Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks at the problems of soil degradation and pollution in China through a review of official reports, academic publications, and news articles published over the last years. It provides data about the soil resources in China in terms of agricultural land, grassland and forestland. The book also introduces the standards of soil erosion and the geographic distribution of degraded soils. It discusses the levels and the causes of soil degradation, touching on wind erosion, water erosion, and freeze-thaw erosion. The book also discusses the impacts of soil degradation and soil pollution. Soil degradation results in nutrient loss, salinization, acidification, and desertification, with negative consequences on grain output and the production of livestock. The government has started to address the problem of soil degradation from the 1980s with programs that aimed to restore the original vegetation on degraded lands.