Reading tips
On the topographic map of the mainland, a 10,000-mile wind-blown sand belt stretching from the Tarim Basin in the west to the Songnen Plain in the east is a difficult place for China's desertification prevention and control and key ecological projects such as the "Three Norths". In June 2023, during his inspection of Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed to make every effort to fight the three iconic battles of the "Three Norths" project: the "several bends" of the Yellow River, the two major sandy annihilation battles of Horqin and Hunshandak, and the Hexi Corridor-Taklamakan Desert edge blocking battle. Pulling out these dark yellow dots will be able to connect the green lines, and the green Great Wall and ecological security barrier in northern Xinjiang built by the "Three Norths" project will be more solid. April 22 this year is the 55th "World Earth Day", under the theme of "cherishing the earth, harmonious coexistence between man and nature", the situation of desertification prevention and control in the "Three Norths" region has attracted much attention. Flattening terraces, damming land, building reservoirs, locking edge sand fixation, photovoltaic sand control...... These practices have embodied the achievements and experiences of the "main fronts" of desertification control represented by Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. While coordinating the management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sand systems, all localities are also seeking development and seeking prosperity according to local conditions - the photovoltaic industry and sand control collide to create a win-win spark; the sand industry chain continues to extend, desert roses, desert food and other sand products are welcomed, and desert tourism attracts more and more people to visit the mysterious desert......
Number of characters: 5300 characters
Reading time: approx. 17 min
The floating sand on the gentle slope is reduced, and the steps are more solid. From the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Alxa League Alxa Left Banner Road sand flying sowing afforestation area to climb high overlook, the undulating sand dunes are covered by lush sand plants, the forest area is full of birds, the once barren and lonely sand sea is gradually thickened in spring, flower sticks, sand canopy jujube feet are more than 2 meters high.
Every spring, the "Three Norths" project area represented by Alxa can always receive more attention, and sand prevention and control is the "main task" of this green Great Wall. Over the years, people and sand have moved from confrontation and struggle to harmony.
Sow green plants and green sand and sea with green edges
Alxa is the main passage and source of the northwest path of the continental sandstorm, and the three deserts of Ulan Buhe, Badain Jaran and Tengger run through the whole territory. Of the three landmark battles of the "Three Norths" project, "two and a half" are in Inner Mongolia and "one and a half" are in Alxa.
Since the 90s of the 20th century, affected by multiple factors, the Badain Jaran Desert has advanced to the southeast at an average annual speed of 20 meters, crossing the Yabulai Mountains and approaching the Tengger Desert. Once the two deserts converge, a super-large sand source of more than 100,000 square kilometers will be formed, which will be even more difficult to manage. "The wind blows the yellow sand and it is difficult to open the eyes, and the sand presses the house and the people are removed. After the wind and sand, it was full of devastation. If you don't control the sand, the sand will cure you!" Recalling the past, the local people were moved.
Therefore, the Alxa League has adopted the "lock-edge" governance, planting two sand-blocking and sand-blocking "lock-edge" shelterbelts with a total length of about 460 kilometers in the eastern and southern edges of the Tengger Desert and the southwestern edge of the Ulan Bu and the desert, forming a magnificent landscape of "green belt locking the Yellow Dragon, and the desert wearing green clothing", ensuring the ecological security and food security of the Yellow River, Helan Mountain, Ningxia Plain, Hetao Plain and even the North China Plain.
"This year, we will rely on the Western Inner Mongolia Desert Comprehensive Management Project (Phase II) to carry out comprehensive treatment around the edge of the desert and on both sides of important roads, so as to achieve the purpose of blocking the confluence of sand, blocking the sand from entering the river, blocking the sand from the mountains, blocking the sand and breaking the road, and do a good job in the Yellow River's 'bends'. Hu Shengde, deputy director of the Science, Technology and Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Alxa Left Banner, said.
During his inspection in Bayannur in 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping likened desertification prevention and control to "rolling stones up the mountain" and "rolling down big stones if you don't pay attention to them".
To prevent "big stones", we must have an overall plan. In recent years, Inner Mongolia has continued to promote the implementation of the ecological management and restoration project in the Wuliangsuhai Basin and the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands in the Horqin grassland. As of April 8, 2024, Inner Mongolia has completed afforestation of 3.61 million mu, grass planting of 16.4762 million mu, and sand prevention and control of 7.92 million mu.
While playing the game with sand and dust weather, it is also necessary to solve the problem of water sources. In the sand prevention and control demonstration area of Alar City, the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, planting trees is not as simple as digging soil, digging pits, and planting.
"Everyone should follow the drip irrigation belt, find the water outlet, and then plant the seedlings. At the site of the spring tree planting event, the staff of the Natural Resources and Planning Bureau of Alar City, the first division, guided the middle school students who planted trees.
An adult Saxon tree can fix 10 square meters of sandy ground and has a lifespan of nearly 100 years. Despite its tenacious vitality in drought tolerance, sand and salinity tolerance, planting and maintenance are not easy.
According to reports, the water resources for planting 20,000 acres of sandy land in the demonstration area are brought from the brackish water construction pump station 13 kilometers away through pipelines. In order to ensure the survival rate of seedlings, the Alar Municipal Bureau conducts a secondary treatment of the saline-alkali water discharged from the farmland and transports it into the drip irrigation belt, just like ordering a shower head for each sapling.
Located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which is located in the "bend of the Yellow River", the Mu Us Sandy Land and the Tengger and Ulan Bu deserts from the east, west and north are closely against most of the contours of Ningxia, and the desertified land accounts for 19.31% of the total land area of Ningxia.
The Yellow River flows through Shapotou District, Zhongwei City, Ningxia, and beyond the arc is the boundless sea of the Tengger Desert. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Peng
Chang Jinhong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Department of Natural Resources of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, introduced that Ningxia is one of the provinces with the most serious desertification degree, the most desertification types and the most widespread distribution in the country, and it is also the only province in the country whose entire territory has been included in the construction scope of the "Three Norths" project.
How to change the situation of large area, wide distribution, heavy degree and difficulty in controlling desertified land is undoubtedly a systematic project.
Chang Jinhong introduced that the Ningxia Department has strengthened the planning and control of desertification control, and implemented the goals, layout, tasks, scale and priorities of desertification prevention and control determined by the six-phase plan of the "Three Norths" project (2021~2035) and the desertification prevention and control plan (2021~2030) of the autonomous region into the overall land and space planning of cities and counties.
The Ningxia Department has carried out ecological restoration of abandoned mines and comprehensive land improvement with a focus on the Mu Us Sandy Land Control Area and the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert; accelerated the construction of the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands in Liupan Mountain, and improved the ecological functions of Liupan Mountain in blocking the southward invasion of desertification and conserving water sources; and planned and implemented the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands in the Luoshan Ecological Function Zone.
Between the yellow sand and the greenery, it is a confrontation of space and a confrontation of wills. With the accumulation of experience and the improvement of science and technology, people's ability to manage deserts and desertified lands has also increased.
More than 60 years ago, the wheat straw square, known as the "Rubik's Cube for Sand Control", was created in Zhongwei City, Ningxia, fixing the quicksand, locking the water and soil, and allowing greenery to sprout here.
Nowadays, the "Sand Control Rubik's Cube" has an "upgraded version". The machine weaves the wheat straw into a net and spreads it directly on the sand, becoming a "mechanical" grass grid, which improves the work efficiency by 60% compared with the manual method, and extends the service life from 3 years to 6 years.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Zhongwei Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources, the city's sand control area has reached 1.5 million mu, forcing back 25 kilometers of the Tengger Desert, and the vegetation coverage rate in the treatment area has increased from less than 1% to 42%.
High-precision surveying, mapping and geographic information technology also provide strong data support for desertification prevention and control. At present, Ningxia has achieved 1:2000 global coverage and time series update of basic geographic information data, which can provide accurate spatial geographic data support for desertification prevention and control and the construction of "Three North" shelterbelts. Using high-precision aerospace images and multi-source satellite remote sensing data, ecological index information such as vegetation coverage can be quickly extracted, and real-time dynamic data services can be provided for monitoring the changes of desertification control.
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, Ningxia's desertification prevention and control target was 4.5 million mu, and 6.606 million mu was actually completed. The results of the sixth national desertification and desertification monitoring show that the area of desertified land and desertified land in Ningxia continues to "shrink".
"Photovoltaic + Ecology" is a new good strategy for desertification control
Ulan Buhe, which means "red bull" in Mongolian. Over the past century, due to multiple factors, Ulan Bu and the desert have been invading eastward like a "bull" on the loose, causing sand to blow, destroying houses, and eroding fertile land, causing more than 70 million tons of sediment to flow into the Yellow River every year, threatening Anlan.
In Dengkou County, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a conspicuous position on the mainland's desertification prevention and control operation map: the "elbow" of the Yellow River's "bend", and the Liuguai Shatou at the junction of the county and the Alxa League, is the place where the desert and the Yellow River "shake hands". To the west of Dengkou is the "attacking bull" Ulan Bu and the desert, and to the east is the Hetao Plain of "the Yellow River has nine curves, only one set of wealth". Dengkou County is not only a fortress for guarding sand, but also a frontier for controlling sand.
The fortress is out of order, and the granary is not guaranteed. In Dengkou County, where there is farmland, there must be shelter forests all around, and tall arbor forests surround the square farmland, tightly protecting 1.65 million mu of cultivated land, which is the result of years of desertification control practice.
The changes in the mouth do not stop at "green". Observation data show that in the past 40 years, the local microclimate of the county has been significantly improved, the ability of wind prevention and sand fixation has been significantly enhanced, and the number of sandstorms has decreased and the degree of sand and dust storms has decreased significantly. In the middle of spring, the peach blossoms in the forest of Dengkou County are intertwined with pink and white, and it is difficult to distinguish the desert from the south of the Yangtze River for a while.
He Weihua, secretary of the Bayannur Municipal Party Committee, introduced that Dengkou County has coordinated the integrated protection of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands, and gradually built a sand prevention and control system of "one place, one network and three zones" (nature reserves, farmland shelter forest networks, sand closure and grass cultivation areas, wind and sand control areas, and photovoltaic sand control areas).
"The Dengkou model has achieved the perfect integration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands, and has become a typical case of systematic governance in the Hetao Plain. Lu Qi, chief scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, commented.
In 2023, Inner Mongolia will identify the desertification prevention and control and wind power and photovoltaic integration project as one of the six major projects for economic development and improvement of people's livelihood. The "2024 National Economic and Social Development Plan of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region" clearly states that it will promote the implementation of desertification prevention and control and wind power and photovoltaic integration projects, accelerate the construction of large-scale wind power and photovoltaic base projects in Shagehuang, innovate investment and financing systems and mechanisms, set up construction and management investment funds, guide enterprises and social forces to participate more, and actively promote typical experiences such as Kubuqi desertification control and Dengkou model.
In March 2024, with the full start of photovoltaic desertification control projects in various areas of the three landmark campaigns of the "Three Norths" project in Inner Mongolia, the integration of desertification prevention and control and wind power and photovoltaic in Inner Mongolia will be accelerated. By 2030, the installed capacity of new energy in the autonomous region's desertification prevention and control and wind power and photovoltaic integration projects will reach 119 million kilowatts, and 11.51 million mu of desertified land will be comprehensively treated.
Promoting the organic integration and integrated construction of desertification prevention and control and wind power and photovoltaic development is a strong support for promoting ecological governance, expanding effective investment, and increasing the income of farmers and herdsmen.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Department of Natural Resources of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the department encourages the state and autonomous region to use desert, Gobi, desert and other unused land for large-scale wind power and photovoltaic power generation projects. With the photovoltaic project reserves of Hangjinqi and Alxa Left Banner as pilots, the focus is on the implementation of reserves for new energy base projects.
Since 2022, Inner Mongolia has deployed large-scale wind power and photovoltaic base projects in deserts and sandy lands, which can not only provide clean electricity, save standard coal, and reduce carbon emissions, but also effectively prevent and control desertification, produce the effect of "1+1>2", and achieve a win-win situation of ecological, economic and social benefits.
In December 2023, the Kubuqi 2 million kilowatt photovoltaic sand control project of Mengxi Base was connected to the grid at full capacity in Hangjinqi, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. As the largest single ecological photovoltaic desertification control project in mainland China, the project produces an average of 4.1 billion kilowatt hours of green electricity per year, saving 1.23 million tons of standard coal combustion and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3.198 million tons per year.
Zhao Jinquan, the person in charge of the project, introduced that the project adopts the three-dimensional ecological photovoltaic sand control mode of double-sided power generation on the board, double-layer ecology under the board, and double-layer breeding between the plates, which can increase the power generation by 5%~10%; Comprehensively realize the multiple benefits of "photovoltaic +" of "on-board power generation, under-board planting, inter-plate breeding, sand control and soil reform, and rural revitalization".
In February 2024, the new energy base (phase I) project of Horqin Sandy Land Ecological Management in Wengniute Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia officially started, marking the start of the implementation of the strategy of large-scale development of new energy on-site consumption and utilization. In the same month, the 2024 government work report of Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, included the desertification prevention and control and wind power and photovoltaic integration projects into the "six projects" to be implemented. Among the "five major ecological industries", the sand control + photovoltaic industry is among them, and photovoltaic sand control is regarded as a major industry to focus on.
In the 60,000 acres of sand on the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, fish-scale photovoltaic panels absorb the scorching sunlight and output 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of "green electricity" every year. It is not only supplied to the surrounding areas, but also out of the Gobi and desert and sent to all parts of the country. This is a microcosm of Ningxia's use of desert resources to provide space guarantee for the development of new energy industries.
In 2022, the Ningxia Department issued the "Notice on Doing a Good Job in Securing Land for New Energy Industries such as Photovoltaic in the Desert Gobi Desert", proposing 8 policies and measures to ensure the development of new energy industries such as photovoltaic power generation bases and large-scale wind power focusing on deserts, Gobi and desert areas.
In the world's largest monocrystalline silicon intelligent photovoltaic power station, Ningxia Baofeng Agricultural-Photovoltaic Integrated Photovoltaic Power Station, the development model of "agriculture and photovoltaic complementation" has not only changed the appearance of sandy land, but also become an important way to promote rural revitalization and increase farmers' income. Some local farmers have gradually transformed into industrial workers by learning technology.
Since the Tarim Oil War in 1989, human production activities in the Taklamakan Desert have never stopped. Nowadays, with the reduction of fossil fuels such as petroleum and the orientation of the "dual carbon" goal, exploring the sustainable use of energy resources has become the only way for high-quality development.
In May 2023, the largest centralized photovoltaic power station in the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert, the 100,000 kW photovoltaic power generation project in Jimo County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, was officially connected to the grid for power generation. The annual electricity transmission of the project can meet the annual electricity demand of nearly 250,000 residents, which is equivalent to replacing 25,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 140,000 tons. It provides a strong clean energy guarantee for improving the local power structure and ecological environment and promoting the green development of the economy.
A large-scale photovoltaic power generation project located in Taheman Township, Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Huhu
In order to promote the development of new energy industrial clusters, the Natural Resources Bureau of Korla City, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, plans a 235-square-kilometer photovoltaic industrial park on the south side of Shangku Petroleum and Petrochemical Industrial Park by optimizing the layout of the new energy industry and giving full play to the advantages of land resources. "For photovoltaic and other new energy projects, we will intervene in advance and provide tracking services, speed up land use procedures, and ensure project land. Zhang Qi, deputy secretary of the party group and director of the Korla Natural Resources Bureau, introduced. At present, the 200,000 kilowatt source-grid-load-storage integration project of Zhongkun Zheneng, which is leased in the photovoltaic industrial park, is about to be connected to the grid for power generation.
A new round of sparks has emerged from the collision between desertification prevention and control and the scenery and scenery projects. Green electricity and green hydrogen are produced on the board, green grass grows between the plates, livestock and poultry are raised, and the board becomes an oasis and green gold. In the future, the green of the desert will continue to spread, building a more solid green barrier in the northern part of the motherland.
Lvfu Tongxing points to the golden road
If you go green, you will also get rich, and you will also get rich when you control desertification. "I used to plant trees in the desert, but I didn't expect the desert to be rich. "With the change of concept and the improvement of the level of desertification control, the desert is no longer a barren land in the traditional understanding, but has become a resource for increasing income and getting rich in many places.
Under the guidance of the concept of "two mountains", "sand damage" has become "sand treasure", and "sand nest" has become "golden nest", expanding the ecological value space. In recent years, hundreds of enterprises have shown their strength in Ulan Bu and the desert, and industries such as organic breeding industry, characteristic forest fruit industry, and Chinese herbal medicine materials have flourished. Up to now, the annual output value of the sand industry in Dengkou County has exceeded 1 billion yuan, attracted a total of 7.55 billion yuan of social funds, and completed the ecological treatment area of more than 800,000 mu, creating a desert sample of "sand prevention and control + sand industry". "The biggest feature of Dengkou is the close integration of scientific and technological support and local production practices. It is equivalent to 'front shop and back factory'. Zhang Jingbo, deputy director of the Desert Forestry Experimental Center of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, said.
Sand barriers and salix were planted in the Kubuqi Desert of Dalat Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. Courtesy of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government
While implementing ecological protection, restoration and construction, the Alxa Right Banner of the Alxa League relies on the industrialization of desert resources to control desertification, giving birth to a green industrial chain in the desert, firmly "adsorbing" farmers and herdsmen on the industrial chain, and embarking on a new path of desertification prevention and control under the guidance of government policies, industrialized operation of enterprises, and market-oriented participation of farmers and herdsmen.
Who would have thought that the desert would become a good pasture if the flowing sand dunes were controlled. At the Musha Ranch in Zhongwei City, on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, tens of thousands of cows enjoy "sunbathing" on the sand. According to professionals, the desert is dry, well ventilated, and there are few diseases, and raising dairy cows here can effectively reduce the incidence of common diseases, and the quality of fresh milk is high. Today, this industry has driven more than 20,000 rural households in 8 surrounding towns to increase their incomes and become rich.
During the Spring Festival in 2024, desert roses from Xinjiang will appear in flower markets in many places, and as the three characteristic economic plants of the sand industry, the barren land covered with yellow sand in the past will be replaced by colorful roses.
In recent years, relying on the characteristic cash crops in the sandy areas, Xinjiang has developed feed, medicine, health care products, cosmetics, beverages, fruits and other related products, and more than 150 enterprises for the deep processing of sandy cash crops such as cistanche, wine grapes, sea buckthorn, wolfberry, rose, licorice, blackcurrant, etc., covering planting, processing, storage, transportation and sales. By the end of 2020, the planting area of characteristic economic plants in Xinjiang's desert areas reached 1.5269 million mu, and the annual output value of the sand industry was nearly 4.2 billion yuan.
Tourism has also made a leap into the desert.
Shapotou, Shahu Lake, Yellow River Suji ...... Desert attractions have long been a golden business card of Ningxia cultural tourism. Shapotou National 5A-level Tourist Attraction integrates deserts, the Yellow River, mountains and oases, and is a national desert ecological nature reserve, as well as an "Internet celebrity check-in" place for sand culture experience and a "city meeting room" for tourists and citizens.
Located at the 39th parallel, Maigaiti County in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, is the "road of life" through the Taklamakan Desert and is well known to archaeologists, explorers and off-road enthusiasts. The 100-meter-high sand dunes provide an excellent venue for sandboarding, desert surfing and other tourist experiences.
Today, there are more than 30 national desert (rocky desert) parks in Xinjiang, and desert tourism is diversified. While tourists are riding camels in the Kumutag Desert in Shanshan, the adventure off-road vehicles in Dariyabuyi Township, Yutian County are also galloping in the desert.
From the suffering of sand, the treatment of sand to the prosperity of sand, over the years, the ecological barrier with green as the background color has been continuously built, and the ecological carrying capacity of the sand area represented by the "Three Norths" region has been gradually enhanced.
Please indicate the source for reprinting
Source: China Natural Resources News
Reporter: Chen ChenText Editor: Chen ChenNew Media Editor: Liu Chuan
iNatural omnimedia
Please mark the source in a conspicuous position for reprinting: iNature All Media
iEmail: [email protected]
Phone: 010-68047618