PART I
OVERVIEW
Part I introduces the geology, climate, and vegetation of and the human impacts on the arid and semiarid regions of northern China. The first half of the following chapter includes both a general overview and more detailed descriptions of the regions of the Northeast, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang visited by delegations representing the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China (CSCPRC). The second half discusses changes in land use practices in this region and the effects of these practices on vegetation and other elements of the ecosystem.