Karst desertification (KD) is a phenomenon in which the surface of the karst region presents a landscape similar to desertification, which restricts the social development of the karst region. How to develop values based on karst desertification control is the focus of current research, with the continuous promotion of karst desertification control (KDC). Planted forests for KDC are an important part of the value realization of ecological products (EPs) and ecological industry (EI) in karst areas. The statistical analysis of 265 relevant papers in this paper shows the following: (1) the literature focuses on EP and EI research; (2) the overall research shows a year-on-year growth trend. It includes three stages: budding (2001–2006), fluctuating growth (2007–2015) and rapid development (2016–2023), with 6, 58 and 211 articles published in each stage, respectively; (3) China is the country with the largest number of articles published, followed by the United States and then Canada, accounting for 47.74%, 11.93% and 6.17%. This paper summarizes the landmark results and key scientific issues to be solved in the study directions of EP supply capacity, EP value accounting, eco-products value realization (EPVR) and EI, taking into account the above results.

Vegetation restoration following cropland abandonment is commonly accompanied by soil organic carbon accumulation. However, the relationships among rural depopulation, land-use transition, ecological restoration, and regional soil carbon dynamics remain insufficiently quantified. Focusing on the South China Karst, this study integrated long-term remote-sensing data, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, structural equation modelling, and random forest analysis to evaluate the statistical relationships and predictive importance linking rural depopulation, cropland abandonment, vegetation restoration, and surface processes to changes in soil organic carbon storage (SOCS) in the upper 0–20 cm of soil. During the study period, the rural population share declined from 82.89% to 48.91%, while cumulative net cropland abandonment during 1991–2019 reached 4.45 × 10⁴ km². Over the same period, forest aboveground biomass and tree cover on abandoned cropland increased at rates of 1.79 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and 1.27% yr⁻¹, respectively. Structural equation modelling showed that rural depopulation and the abandonment of sloping cropland were associated with vegetation restoration. Vegetation restoration was, in turn, associated with reduced soil erosion, changes in soil sand content, and increased net primary productivity (NPP), which were further associated with increased SOCS. Random forest analysis identified NPP and tree cover as the principal predictors of SOCS change, with the strongest responses occurring on moderate and steep slopes above 15°. These findings indicate that rural depopulation and the accompanying withdrawal of marginal sloping cropland and vegetation restoration were closely associated with increased SOCS on karst slopes, providing statistical evidence for understanding regional soil carbon dynamics in the context of rural demographic transition.

The forests in the dolomite karst region provide people with a variety of ecological products, and the realization of its value is related to the protection of forests and the well-being of local residents. In this paper, the spatial and temporal pattern and change rule of the value of forest ecological products from 2000 to 2020 are investigated through three forest study areas in China's southern and northern rocky desertification control. The equivalent factor method is used to calculate the value of forest ecological products, and Arc GIS and other tools are used for visualization and analysis. It was found that the forest land area in the three study areas was mainly forest-dominated, and the value of ecological products showed a fast and then slow decline rate in the southern region. The two study areas in the north, on the other hand, showed a gradual increase over the years in the study area of Yixian, while Zunhua showed an increasing and then decreasing trend of change. Meanwhile, different ecological product value realization path models are proposed according to the value changes in the study areas. The results of the study provide theoretical and practical support for the sustainable development of forests in karst desertification control areas, and have important academic and application values.