Evaluating the success of engineering disturbed slope eco-restoration in the alpine region, southeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Slope eco-restoration has always received extensive attention as a positive way to reverse ecosystem deterioration derived from human interventions. A simplified framework is proposed to undertake a quantitative evaluation of the engineering disturbed slope eco-restoration success in the alpine region, southeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Dagu hydropower project that disturbs the local ecosystem to some certain was selected as the study area. Since August 2018, six types of slope (soil, rock, soil-rock, spoil, construction site, hardened) were served as the demonstration test for the slope eco-restoration with two years monitoring in the study area. Meanwhile, the topography, erosion, soil quality, and vegetation were selected as assessment indicators of the methodology. Finally, combined with the weighting method and the expert panel, the slope eco-restoration quality index (SERQI) was established and applied in the six slopes. The results suggested that the frost-resistant ecological substrate performed well in alpine region, and the SERQI value is in accordance with the actual monitoring level with spoil slope > soil slope > construction site slope > soil-rock slope > rock slope > hardened slope. The proposed framework could support slope eco-restoration practitioners for making a more objective and quantitative evaluation easily for the post-implementation restoration.