The Loess Plateau, a cradle of Chinese ancient civilization, has been affected b y various forms of human activities for millennia. During the last century, frag mentation and degradation of ecological environments on the Loess Plateau have b een accelerated due to the increasing population pressures and intensification o f land use. Human's impacts on the Loess Plateau frequently lead to vegetation c hanges that take place faster than natural vegetation transformation, leading to severe soil and water loss...