Articles | Volume 7, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-741-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-741-2016
Research article
 | 
09 May 2016
Research article |  | 09 May 2016

Discussing the genesis of karst rocky desertification research based on the correlations between cropland and settlements in typical peak-cluster depressions

Yang Bing Li, Qiong Yao Li, Guang Jie Luo, Xiao Yong Bai, Yong Yan Wang, Shi Jie Wang, Jing Xie, and Guang Bin Yang

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Short summary
In karst mountainous areas in Southwest China, sloping land is overly reclaimed. Why are farmers doing this? Through typical case studies of peak-cluster depression areas, we found that low land carrying capacity and high population pressure where farmers carry out extreme steep reclamation activities are the main reasons for desert-like landscapes; this is a kind of land degradation which occurs in vulnerable karst dryland socioecological systems.