Soil loss and conservation in the black soil region of Northeast China: a retrospective study

The black soil region in Northeast China is an important region for cereal grain production in the country. However, several decades of overexploitation and unsustainable land use practices have caused substantial loss of soil and soil productivity. The dominant soil erosion processes in the black soil region are water, wind and meltwater erosion, of which water erosion on the slope farmland is the major contributor to soil erosion. According to landforms and characteristics of soil and water loss, the black soil region of Northeast China can be classified as the rolling hill area, the low mountain–hill ravine area, and the farming-pastoral area. As a result, land use strategies, including the Three Defense Lines control pattern, the Pyramid Style control pattern, and the control pattern of Minimum Exploiture and Maximal Protection, are proposed for the three respective areas. Moreover, conservation tillage and participatory management are the promising measures that have not been widely implemented in the black soil region until now.