Review of Biological Desertification Control Technologies

Desertification, a global ecological crisis, severely threatens regional ecological security and socio-economic development, while biological sand-fixing technology has emerged as a research focus in desertification control due to its eco-friendly and sustainable attributes. This review systematically describes advances in biological desertification control, analyzing the fundamental principles, influencing factors and engineering applications of plant, biocrust, biopolymer, microbial, and integrated sand-fixing technologies. In summary, these technologies enhance sand stabilization through physical barriers, chemical cementation and ecological restoration, while significantly improving microenvironments. Despite progress, key challenges persist: future efforts must address core technical bottlenecks, optimize biomaterials for extreme environments, elucidate synergistic mechanisms in integrated systems, establish eco-economically optimized models and develop engineering standards to deliver sustainable global solutions.