In order to protect Beijing from the increasing threat of sandstorms, China and Japan are working together in a greening project. 

The 3-million-yuan (US$362,300) initiative was recently set in motion to reclaim desert areas in Fengning County of Hebei Province, 180 kilometers north of Beijing.

The goal of the project, sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Toyota Automobile Corporation, is to plant 10 square kilometers of trees, grass and bushes to stem the invasion of sand from the Xiaobazi area in Fengning, one of the major sources of the sandstorms that have plagued Beijing and other regions in north China over the past few years.

Statistics show that over 8,700 square kilometers, or 13 percent, of the total land of Fengning has suffered desertification so far. Xiaobazi is the worst-hit area in Fengning, with 37 percent of its land suffering from sand invasion because of overgrazing and the cultivation of land not suited to farming.

In addition to being the source of sandstorms in the capital, Fengning is also a major source of the city's water supply. Two rivers that run through the county provide over half of the water to Miyun Reservoir, the city's largest, located in its northeastern suburbs.

Protecting the two rivers, therefore, is protecting the lifeline of Beijing, said Liu Mengyu, a scientist from CAS who is involved in the project.

Liu and his colleagues have done extensive investigation and research of the desert areas in Fengning. He said green cover there has been steadily eroded over the years as a result of growing population and the increasingly serious drought conditions.

"Fengning, the Xiaobazi area in particular, is a typical desertification zone," he said. "Almost all the factors that contribute to such a process in other areas can be observed here."

While a number of measures should be undertaken to stem the sand invasion, increasing green cover there remains the most practical approach.

"By choosing appropriate plant species and technologies, afforestation is likely to keep the threat (of sandstorms) at bay after continued afforestation," he said.

Under the project, local forestry authorities plan to plant 10 square kilometers of drought-resistant trees and bushes, such as aspen and Chinese pine in Xiaobazi.

The project is a continuation of a broader initiative started by CAS, Toyota and Hebei Province in Fengning four years ago, when Beijing suffered its worst series of sandstorms.

Prior to this year's project, 15 square kilometers of desert land in Fengning had already been replanted with trees, bushes and grasses native to the area, according to Zheng Wenlong, deputy head of the Forestry Bureau of Fengning government.

One of the main aims of this year's project is to prevent renewed desertification of the areas already reclaimed.

"Ecological conditions in the area are still very fragile," he said. "It is crucial to maintain the vegetation there while planting more trees and bushes to further stem the desertification process."

According to Liu from CAS, about 3,500 square kilometers of land are lost to desert each year in China, while the frequency of sandstorms has increased from five a year in the 1950s to 23 in the 1990s.

(China Daily April 20, 2004)