由于种种原因,黄土高原生态环境脆弱现象日益扩张,水土流失、沙漠化、干旱、沙尘暴等灾害频繁发生,生态环境的可持续性引起了科技工作者的关注。利用历史资料,从黄土高原2000a左右的自然灾害发生频率、森林植被的严重破坏、土壤侵蚀的不断加剧、人口的无限制增长以及近几十年来黄河的频繁断流等几个方面出发,说明了黄土高原生态环境在这些重要因素的影响下,表现出明显的不可持续性发展,并提出了相应的防治对策,包括加强人口控制、加快植被的恢复与重建、节约利用水资源以及提高利用效率等。该研究的目的并非消极悲观,而是正确认识黄土高原生态环境的演变历史,树立国民的环境忧患意识和可持续发展的思想,为实现黄土高原的生态安全和持续发展提供科学依据。

The deterioration of eco-environment has become a serious and urgent problem in the Loess Plateau.How to deal with the relationship between environment and development in China’s western development has been put to agenda.Due to all kinds of factors,fragility eco-e-nvironment is getting worse and worse,disasters such as soil and water loss,desertification,drought,sand storm dust and so on happened frequently.Therefore,it is necessary to consider both natural factors and human impacts to fully understand environmental deterioration.A thorough comprehensive study of historical changes especially will enhance our capability to predict future environment dynamics and devise more effective environment management strategies.In our study,we put our focus on the historical changes of forests,drought and flood disasters,soil erosion,duststorm and population in the Loess Plateau,which have very close relationship with the eco-environment.By the analysis of historical materials,we think the development of eco-environment is seriously challengeable and unsustainable in the Loess Plateau.The objective is by no means pessimistic,but is to correctly recognize the evolution his tory of eco-environm ent in a wise way,to make local government pay more attention to the environmental crisis and the sustainable development,build up public awareness of local farmers to the concerned aspects and to implement the reasonable measures of eco-environment improvement and sustainable development of the Loess Plateau so as to provide scientific basis for the realization of eco-environment security and sustainable socio-economic development of the Loess Plateau.