Ecological construction in full swing

By Liu Yufen (chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-10-10

The Inner Mongolia autonomous region started developing key ecological construction projects at full scale in 2004. As a result, desertification land shrank by 466,667 hectares and sandy desertification area dropped by 125,333 hectares.

A photo taken on July 8, 2014, shows the sand control forest network in the desert area of the city of Wuhai in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo by Zhang Ling/Xinhua]

The region lies along the border of China and stretches across the north and northeast regions of the country. The desertification land covers 52 percent of the region’s total area, which results in a vulnerable ecological environment. It also creates a tough mission for the region’s desertification prevention and control.

A photo taken on Sept 4, 2014, shows a herd of cattle foraging on the Otindag Sandy Land’s savannas in Hexigten Banner, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo by Zhang Ling/Xinhua]

The prevention and control of desertification has made ecological construction a top priority for the region’s governments at all levels. A total of over 100 billion yuan ($16.31 billion) has been spent for ecological protection and construction in the last 10 years. The region sees forestry ecological construction of more than 666.667 hectares per year, while the annual average figures of grassland construction and soil and water conservation are 2.67 million hectares and 433,333 hectares, respectively. Ecological construction has sped up markedly.

A photo taken on April 22, 2014, shows herdsmen busy planting trees at Badain Jaran Desert in Ejin Banner, Inner Mongolia. [Photo by Zhang Ling/Xinhua]

At present, ecological deterioration is slowing down in the region, and ecological treatment has seen good results in some areas. Moreover, the region has pulled ahead in China in terms of its forest area, reaching 24.87 million hectares in total.

Edited by Michael Thai