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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (8): 1653-1662.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.534

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Review of research on sand fixation function of desert grasslands in China under the context of ecological engineering

ZHANG Biao1(), ZHU Jiashun2, HE Xiaohui1, XU Jie3, LIU Hongyu1, SUN Hailian1()   

  1. 1 School of Ecology and Environment, Baotou Teachers’ College, Baotou 014030, Inner Mongolia, China
    2 Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
    3 School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2025-09-03 Revised:2025-10-13 Online:2026-08-25 Published:2026-08-21
  • Contact: SUN Hailian E-mail:zhangbiao@igsnrr.ac.cn;66497@bttc.edu.cn

Abstract:

Desert grasslands are an important part of China’s northern sand control belt and provide a vital sand-fixation function. As key ecological protection and restoration projects advance, it is vital to elucidate the intrinsic relationship between plant traits and sand fixation functions for implementing precise measures. This paper summarizes the achievements in vegetation restoration research and sand fixation functional assessment across China’s desert grasslands, as well as the requirements for restoring vegetation structure and ecological function within the study region. Focusing on sand fixation in desert grasslands, this paper compares the applicability of varied assessment methods and indicates their ineffectiveness in revealing the impacts of the vegetative community on sand fixation. Based on the mechanisms by which sand fixation functions affect plant traits, the paper proposes directions for functionally improving sand fixation assessment models applicable to areas under ecological restoration projects, thereby providing a reference for decision-making in such major ecological and sand control efforts across China’s desert grasslands.

Key words: ecological restoration, sand fixation, functional traits, desert grassland