China's efforts in combating desertification reflect

Beijing, China, January 3, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — While crossing the sand dunes, Lu Qi walks on sand divided into square blocks by straw.

This is the straw checkerboard technique, nicknamed the “Chinese Rubik's Cube”, widely used in China to increase the roughness of surfaces and thus reduce wind erosion.

This is the Ulan Buh Desert in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where Lu and his team conducted work. Here, this technique, combined with various support measures, allowed young trees and trees to regenerate the land.

Lu and his team's efforts not only highlight significant progress in controlling desertification in China, but also reflect a deeper philosophical commitment to the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature – a principle that makes an integral part of Chinese philosophy for millennia.

In a speech delivered via video link at the Leaders' Summit of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) on October 12, 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized: “All sentient beings They flourish when they live in harmony and receive nourishment from Nature.

This quote comes from the “Discourse on Heaven (Tian Lun)” in Xunzi, written by the Warring States philosopher (475BC-221BC) Xun Kuang. This means that all things in the world are born by receiving their respective harmonious energies and grow by obtaining their unique nourishment.

“Man and Nature must coexist in harmony. When we take care to protect Nature, Nature rewards us generously; when we exploit Nature mercilessly, she punishes us mercilessly. We must have deep respect for Nature , respect it, follow its laws and protect nature, so as to build a homeland of harmonious coexistence between man and nature,” Xi said in his speech, Xinhua reported.

The philosophy of harmonious coexistence between man and nature is evident in China's proactive measures to combat desertification, an urgent ecological challenge that has a significant impact on the survival and development of humanity, especially in a country that is among the most seriously affected by this problem in the world.

“We need to understand how nature changes,” Lu said.

Under Lu's leadership, researchers identified and collected drought-resistant plant seedlings adapted to the Ulan Buh desert. According to Lu, the research institute has transformed more than 11,000 hectares of desert into fertile land in Ulan Buh, as noted by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

By organizing and implementing key projects such as the construction of the Three North Shelterbelt Forestry Program, China has protected 538 million mu (35.87 million hectares) of desertified land and effectively managed 118 million mu of desertified land. The forest cover rate in the project area increased from 12.41 percent to 13.84 percent, and 61 percent of the area affected by soil erosion was effectively controlled, according to the press release from the project. National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

“The Champions of the Earth”

In December 2024, Lu, chief scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and founding president of the Great Green Wall Institute, was awarded the title of Champions of the Earth, the UN's highest environmental honor, marking the first time that a Chinese winner has been recognized in the Science and Innovation category of the prize.

Lu played a key role in implementing the world's largest afforestation project, establishing expert research networks and partnerships and strengthening multilateral cooperation to stem desertification, land degradation and drought , according to UNEP.

Lu has accumulated more than 30 years of experience in the field of desertification prevention and control. He has led more than 50 research projects, published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles, authored 20 monographs, and helped China implement the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

His work in desertification control, particularly his contributions to the Three North Shelterbelt Forestry Program, embodies the philosophy that “All beings flourish when they live in harmony and receive nourishment from nature “.

“Technology to combat desertification is a bit like medicine for the flu; “There has never been a 'wonder drug' that completely cures the disease, but instead it can only alleviate discomfort,” he told the Global Times.

For example, in desertification prevention and control work, the choice of tree species must be adapted to local conditions and based on scientific planning.

In areas subject to high winds and sand, and a lack of water, such as shifting sand regions, priority should be given to planting sand-tolerant shrubs and herbaceous plants with barriers mechanical sand to form the first layer of protection. Behind this, economical drought-resistant tree species can be planted. In the innermost oasis area, mixed coniferous and deciduous forests can be cultivated, forming a layered protection system from the outside to the inside, Lu explained.

He stressed that desertification prevention should align with major national strategies, including rural revitalization and ecological protection of the Yellow River basin.

He also stressed the need to develop industries such as photovoltaic and wind power generation, industrial agriculture and eco-tourism, while advancing green agriculture and food industries in desert areas.

According to Lu, of China's approximately 1.7 million square kilometers of desertified land, about 500,000 square kilometers can be effectively rehabilitated, while the remaining 1 million square kilometers are natural and primordial deserts that should not be disturbed. .

“What we are restoring are the deserts that formed over the last 100 to 1,000 years, which we call artificial deserts,” Lu explained.

Although he often works in remote areas, without mobile network and in difficult living conditions, Lu told the Global Times that he rarely remembers the difficulties of his work and life.

What he often remembers are the starry nights, the scene of working together to pull a vehicle out of the sand and the wild animals encountered along the way. According to him, it is the best reflection of following the flow of nature.

Approach with Chinese characteristics

On the morning of November 28, 2024, the Taklimakan Desert, known as the “Sea of ​​Death”, was completely encircled by a green sand-blocking belt stretching 3,046 kilometers in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region , in northwest China, according to the Xinhua news agency.

As a result, this resilient and flexible green fence will effectively stop the spread of moving sand, serving as a boundary separating the oasis from the vast yellow sand dunes.

The completion of the ecological barrier surrounding the Taklimakan Desert is a striking reflection of China's progress in combating desertification.

After more than 40 years of unremitting efforts, China has charted a unique path toward desertification control with Chinese characteristics, ensuring both ecological protection and livelihood improvement in a virtuous circle, becoming a international model for sand control.

In the interview with the Global Times, Lu explained that China's sand control model is a two-way participatory approach, combining top-down and bottom-up efforts. The government creates high-level plans and designs, while attracting broad participation from all sectors of society, forming a powerful collaborative effort.

He pointed out that “In the past, sand control could be mainly driven by government investment, but today the participation of multiple forces is more important. Through the joint efforts of research institutes, businesses and local governments, the best results can be achieved. be achieved.”

Currently, China has effectively rehabilitated 53 percent of its treatable desertified land. The area of ​​desertified land in China has decreased by 65 million mu since 2012, Xinhua reported in November 2024.

China has led the world in “zero growth” in land degradation, with decreasing areas of desertification and sandification, according to data released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration in November 2024.

Additionally, as Lu pointed out, China has strong legal protections, having specifically enacted the world's first sand prevention and control law in 2002.

“All these factors have created a favorable environment for the company to promote sand prevention and control efforts. Therefore, an important lesson from China's anti-desertification work is to courageously shoulder our mission, to fear no difficulties, work diligently for the long term and take advantage of China's efforts to combat desertification and stick to it, moving from one phase to another,” he said. concluded Lu.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, praised Lu's contribution to global desertification control, stressing that Lu had proven in practice that by combining science and policy, human beings can solve the problem of land degradation, help communities to adapt to climate change and create a better future for millions of people.

This article was first published in the Global Times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202501/1326096.shtml

Company: Global Times

Contact person: Anna Li

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://globaltimes.cn

City: Beijing

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