Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China has planted 1.47 million hectares of trees over the past six years to help reduce the threat of sandstorm to the major Chinese cities Beijing and Tianjin.

 

The afforestation project has greatly improved local environment and slowed down the deterioration in pastures and desertification in the project areas in the Xilin Gol League, said Gao Xilin, director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Forestry Bureau.

 

The forest and grassland coverage rate has increased to the current 50 percent from 20 percent before 2000 in the project area, Gao said.

 

Local farmers and herdsmen also benefited a lot from the afforestation project, with their per capita income reaching 546 yuan (about US$70) annually, much higher than in the past, Gao said.

 

The afforestation project to protect Beijing and Tianjin is one of the six state key projects to improve the ecological environment.

 

Launched in 2000, the afforestation project covers 458,000 sq km from the Darhan Muminggan Banner in Inner Mongolia in the west to Pingquan county in north China's Hebei Province in the east, and from Dong Ujimqin Banner in Inner Mongolia in the north to Daixian county in north China's Shanxi Province in the south.

 

The project covers 31 banners and counties in Inner Mongolia alone. The central government allocated more than 3 billion yuan (about US$375 million) for Inner Mongolia to harness 2.16 million hectares of sandy areas.

 

Currently, more than 3.33 million hectares of farmland and 5.33 million hectares of pasture are under protection by sheltering forests and efforts to harness 8 million hectares of land threatened by sand and wind, and 7.3 million hectares of land suffering from soil erosion have begun to pay off, Gao said.

 

Gao said, Inner Mongolia would enhance its efforts to harness sandstorms so as to make greater contributions to Beijing's efforts to hold a green Olympic Games in 2008.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2006)