Abstract:In order to explore the effective biological measures suitable for the control of rocky desertification in karst area of Southwest China, the Dabang River, a typical karst basin, was taken as the research area. Using the SWAT model simulation method, the long-term measured hydrological data from the Huangguoshu and Gaoche hydrological stations were used for calibration. Totally six scenarios of rocky desertification control measures were set up to simulate the runoff generation characteristics. And finally, the ecological benefits of different measures were discussed. The results showed that: (1) In the calibration period (2008—2013), as for Huangguoshu hydrological station, R2=0.86, NSE=0.77, while for Gaoche hydrological station, R2=0.76, NSE=0.63; and during the verification period (2014—2018), the R2 of Huangguoshu hydrological station was 0.79, NSE was 0.57, while the R2 of Gaoche hydrological station was 0.75, NSE was 0.54, which all met the evaluation criteria of the model, indicating that SWAT model had good applicability in Dabang River Basin. (2) When the slope was greater than 15°, the effects of water storage and interception of woodland, economic forest and grass land were better than that of farmland. When the slope was between 15° and 25°, and above 25°, the effects of water storage and interception were: economic forest > grassland > woodland. (3) On the one hand, the economic forest + grassland measure could effectively alleviate the problem of engineering water shortage in Dabang River Basin; on the other hand, based on the potential economic benefits, optimizing and adjusting the planting structure of local farmland could realize the sustainable development of regional agriculture. These results could provide theoretical reference for rocky desertification control, ecological restoration and Rural Revitalization in southwest karst area, and have certain reference significance for promoting social and economic sustainable development of karst basin.