In order to combat land desertification and to evaluate the soil quality of different cover land types, and thereby determine the best land use strategy for vegetation restoration, this research comprehensively analyzed the soil quality of different land use/cover types in the hilly sandy area of the Loess Plateau by using the Kruskal–Wallis test (K–W test) and principal component analysis (PCA) technique for order preference by the similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and the potential ecological risk index (RI). The result indicated that the cropland abandonment over a period of time could improve the soil quality to a certain extent; however, the process of natural restoration was very slow compared with that of the planted mixed shrubs. The soil quality of all land use/cover types in the hilly sandy area of Youyu County clearly improved after 10–25 years of revegetation, but the degree of improvement varied greatly with the different planted species and their combinations. The low levels of soil organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorus were the major limiting factors affecting soil quality improvement under different land use/cover types, not metal toxicity. Pioneer species of H. rhamnoide, C. korshinskii and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, etc. are vital to vegetation restoration of the study area. Revegetation using these species is therefore recommended to combat future desertification in this area.

The Chiang are a significant ethnic group in China. Their traditional costumes have distinctive regional styles and represent strong cultural diversity. This research deconstructs the Chiang costume and examines its elements. Here, we clarified the status of the current heritage value of the Chiang costume and the main factors affecting its spatial differentiation. The spatial differentiation pattern of Chiang costume heritage values was determined and correlated with natural factors. The research suggests the following: (1) Chiang embroidery is the most important element of the Chiang costume in terms of heritage, whereas the Shibi costume has the lowest heritage value, illustrating that the heritage value of the costume is closely related to its practicality and how much it is worn in daily life. (2) Natural factors (temperature > elevation > precipitation) best explain the spatial differentiation of Chiang costume heritage values. (3) The heritage values of the Chiang costume in the study area show distinct spatial differentiation, increasing with elevation. Finally, the research method (identification of elements, establishment of the element list, clarification of current heritage status, clarification of the driving force, and finally determination of pattern) can be applied to studies of other ethnic cultures to improve monitoring and management of regional cultural heritage conditions.

Purpose: The purpose is to explore the cognitive status and attitudes of the successor group towards Tuwang worship and its related traditional culture. By identifying the challenges faced in preserving this intangible cultural heritage, the research aims to propose effective countermeasures that enhance the sustainability and protection of Tujia ethnic culture, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on cultural preservation in the context of modernization.Design/methodology/approach: This paper takes “discover problem Identify dilemmas Propose countermeasures” as the principal line, cultural elements were listed by deconstructing each brocade pattern, and a survey questionnaire was designed, thereby clarifying the status quo of the heritage and cognition of Tuwang worship series pattern (TWSP).Findings: The study reveals that, despite a high level of ethnic belonging and subjective initiative among the successor group to disseminate TWSP and their traditional culture, their cognitive level regarding TWSP is not optimistic. This group faces a dilemma of poor cognitive status, which poses a risk of TWSP gradually vanishing. Furthermore, the study identifies various heritage difficulties faced by TWSP, which including internal and external factors.Practical implications: This paper points out the fact that the intangible cultural heritage of some ethnic minorities is being weakened during modernization, and puts forward directions for strengthening its sustainability, aiming to provide a reference for improving the protection strategy of such cultural heritage.Originality/value: This study presents a comprehensive analysis of TWSP. Through a deconstructive approach applied to Tujia brocade, the research offers a novel perspective on understanding and preserving ethnic minority cultures, which highlights the significance of exploring endangered cultures of ethnic minorities in a cognitive “cold zone”.

Soil microorganisms are integral to nutrient cycling, ecosystem functioning, and soil restoration. However, the information on the response of soil eukaryotic microbial communities to land-use transformations, particularly for afforestation, remains underexplored in the mountainous region of northwest Shanxi on the Loess Plateau. The study based on high-throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA sequences, elucidated the impact of afforestation on soil eukaryotic microbial communities in this ecologically sensitive region. The findings indicated that afforestation significantly altered the composition of soil eukaryotic microbial communities. The dominant eukaryotic phyla were Streptophyta (16.8%-46.9%) and Ascomycota (20.5%-40.7%). At the genus level, Gymnoascus, Preussia, Mortierella, Chaetomium and Fusarium were biomarkers of soil eukaryotic microbes in farmland soil, while unidentified Streptophyta and Geopora were enriched in plantations soil. The result of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis shows significant separation between eukaryotic microbial communities in farmland and plantation soils, which significantly correlated with soil temperature (T), nitrate nitrogen (NN) and available phosphorus (AP). These findings provided data support on regional ecological restoration assessments, highlighted the effect of soil physicochemical factors on the composition of soil eukaryotic microbial communities, and enhanced our understanding of the role of afforestation in modifying soil microbial ecosystems.