The Loess Plateau is an important ecological zone in China. The changes in vegetation coverage were investigated in the Loess Plateau region from 2001 to2016, as well as the impacts of climatic factors and human activities on it. The result shows that the vegetation coverage in the Loess Plateau has generally exhibited an increasing trend, with a significant extension of the growing season. Overall, the vegetation coverage in the Loess Plateau has a weak or negative correlation with temperature, while it shows a positive correlation with precipitation. Among different land use types, the vegetation coverage of arable land, forest land and grassland has generally increased, whereas the vegetation coverage of water bodies, built-up areas and unused land has decreased overall.

the loess plateau  /  vegetation coverage  /  temperature  /  precipitation  /  land use