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To combat land degradation and deterioration issues, the Grain to Green project (GGP) was implemented on the Chinese Loess Plateau in 1999 and substantially altered the land cover by converting slope farmland into forest and grassland. To effectively achieve sustainable land restoration management and avoid stakeholder conflicts, this study aimed to understand how local stakeholders perceived the current land restoration process and expectations for future land restoration policy, as well as how stakeholders assessed the GGP impacts on local ecosystem service changes. We investigated the perspectives of 150 stakeholders representing five stakeholder groups including farmers, governmental officers, citizens, tourism operators and forestry practitioners using questionnaires administered in 2021 in the Yan’an area of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The survey results indicated a 72% support rate of stakeholders for the current GGP, with government officers reporting the highest value and tourism practitioners reporting the lowest. The support rate for future land restoration decreased to 51%. While majority of the stakeholders considered that the GGP had stimulated regulation and cultural ecosystem services, they also perceived negative impacts on grain production, livestock production, water yield and water quantity. Factors influencing farmers’ decision-making on recultivating the restored forest in the future were found to be economically driven. We recommend policy makers to improve the compensation standards and duration for farmers and increase the diversity of restoration tree species, and the involvement of participatory processes is suggested for future land restoration policy-making.

Niquisse, S., Cabral, P., Rodrigues, Â., & Augusto, G. (2017). Ecosystem services and biodiversity trends in Mozambique as a consequence of land cover change. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services and Management, 13(1), 297-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2017.1349836 The incorporation of ecosystem services (ES) information in planning decisions is an important factor in the sustainable use of natural resources. However, studies assessing the levels and changes of these services at national level are rare. In this paper, we estimate past and future changes in multiple ES and biodiversity, as a consequence of land cover change (LCC) in Mozambique. Water yield, water quality, erosion regulation, climate regulation, and biodiversity were modeled using a spatially explicit approach. Changes in ES and biodiversity were mapped at province level between 2005 and 2009. Through the use of a land change model, land cover was projected for 2025, and the resulting impacts on ES and biodiversity were estimated. We found a moderate increase in climate regulating service between 2005 and 2009. However, water quality (nutrient retention) and biodiversity decreased. LCC for 2025 is expected to have a similar impact on these ES. This study contributes with a methodology that can be useful for monitoring ES and assist decision policies affecting ES provision and trade-offs. publishersversion published