Protection and Construction of the National Ecological Security Shelter Zone on Tibetan Plateau

The shelter function of Tibetan Plateau has an important effect on the ecological security in China, even in Asia. Under the joint influence of global change and human activities, ecosystem destabilizing and resources and environment pressure increasing emerge on the Tibetan Plateau, which have caused some problems, including significant glacier retreat, serious land degradation, aggravated soil erosion and water loss, increased threats to biodiversity along with decreased rare and specious biological resources, and natural disasters increasing. These problems have a great influence on regional ecological security shelter function on the plateau. Based on the relevant research and practical experience in ecological construction, some suggestions are proposed to strengthen ecological protection and construction of the national ecological security shelter zone on the Tibetan Plateau at present, namely, strengthening basic research on the Tibetan Plateau ecological shelter impacts and regional ecological security enhancement and climate change mitigation; developing the key technology of protection and construction of the national ecological security shelter zone on the plateau and demonstration; striving to set up a monitoring system of ecological shelter function, intensifying evaluation of protection and construction efficiency of ecological security shelter zone, perfecting evaluation systems and standards, and summarizing experience, so as to enhance the overall function of national ecological security shelter and to further take the initiative in dealing with global change.