Abstract:
Background The 'Yudiba' is the Chinese Pinyin of an erosion control engineering measure, which has been widely implemented in the Chinese Loess Plateau and plays an important role in reducing sediment discharge and increasing cultivated land area. Although 'check dam' has been widely used as the English term to represent the engineering practice for erosion control and become the general English translation of 'Yudiba', the 'check dam' could not authentically highlight the soil and water conservation engineering of 'Yudiba' in the Loess Plateau.
Methods Here the differences between the 'Yudiba dam' and the 'check dam' were specifically discussed in aspects of purposes, sizes and main functions. Moreover, the English translations for the 'Yudiba' were analyzed by comparing the connotations of the concepts, the different functions of the erosion control engineering in agricultural development and ecological improvement, as well as the simplicity when used in scientific studies.
Results The 'Yudiba' is special soil and water conservation engineering measures, initiated from the Loess Plateau of China, referring to the dam structures built in various levels of gullies for the purpose of blocking sediment into cultivated land. The 'check dam' is a small temporary barrier, grade control structure or dam constructed across a swale, drainage ditch, or area of concentrated flow. The 'check dam' differed with the 'Yudiba dam' in purposes, sizes and main functions. Currently, various English translations were used in the literature, which were hardly accepted widely as either without representativeness or without simplicity.
Conclusions We recommend the 'Yudiba dam' based on Chinese Pinyin as the formal English term in order to distinguish between the 'Yudiba dam' in the Loess Plateau and 'check dam' in other places. Thus, the 'Yudiba dam' is suggested to refer to the erosion control measure, which has been widely built in the Loess Plateau of China with the main functions including trapping sediment, reducing gully erosion and increasing the area of farmland in the sediment rich area.
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