Bringing Back Vegetation

By Hu Fan

Xu Xinwen， a 56-year-old researcher， is a warrior， but not in the conventional sense. For 21 years， he has been battling against a very different enemy—sand—in the desert in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， which is home to the largest arid land in the country.

A researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography （XIEG） under the Chinese Academy of Sciences， Xu has dedicated much of his life to building Chinas Great Green Wall， a project initiated in 1978 aimed at planting a shelter belt from northwest to northeast China in areas vulnerable to sand hazards and soil loss. With an area of 4 million square km， the project has involved hundreds of millions of people in the fi ght against desertifi cation.

Having garnered rich experience， Xu is now part of a team taking part in a similar project on the other side of the world， with a similar name： the Great Green Wall of Africa.

In 2007， under the leadership of the African Union， 11 African countries， including Burkina Faso， Djibouti， Eritrea and Ethiopia， joined the Great Green Wall initiative. It is described as “an epic ambition to grow a 7，600-km natural wonder of the world across the entire width of Africa，” according to the programs official website. Currently， more than 20 African countries have joined the project.

Xu became involved in the initiative when the China-Africa Joint Research Center was set up in 2013. As a participant， XIEG established an office with organizations in Mauritania， one of the African Great Green Wall participating countries， to conduct research on the prevention of desertifi cation. In 2018， XIEG set up a PanAfrica Great Green Wall Research Center to provide technological support for the program.

“We are in a good position to provide support to Africa with our technology and experience gained in Xinjiang，” Xu told Beijing Review， adding that the similarities in the causes of desertification in Xinjiang and Africa make it possible to apply Chinese expertise in the region.

Technological support

XIEG was established in 1998， originating from two institutes for desert studies and geology that were established in the 1960s. Since then， it has accumulated vast experience and technologies in desertifi cation control and development of ecological industries.

Its technology was first introduced in Africa in 2009. Invited by the Libyan Government， XIEG provided a comprehensive solution for controlling typical sand hazards along a desert road in Murzuq in southwest Libya. This example became a landmark for the later introduction of Chinese desertification control technologies in Africa.

According to XIEG， after the launch of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative in 2013， more intensive cooperation was carried out with African Great Green Wall countries.

In August 2017， XIEG provided a 14-day training course for some 20 people from these countries. Chinese techniques in Xinjiangs anti-desertification project along with hands-on fi eld studies gave the trainees a deeper understanding of the solutions available. A progress report detailing the specific needs of the various African countries along the Great Green Wall was also compiled.

One month later， XIEG offi cially became a provider of technological support for the Great Green Wall initiative by signing agreements with related countries at the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifi cation held in Ordos in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Xu believes there is ample room for this cooperation. “Based on our investigations in Africa， our technology in desertifi cation control is needed there， especially for the construction of the Great Green Wall，” he explained.

XIEG is now busy with a new national research program， started in 2018， to assist green cooperation with Africa. The program is dedicated to fi nding technologies suitable for the building of the African Great Green Wall. It focuses on diagnosing key technical problems with the building of the wall and assessing the suitability of Chinas technology， materials and products for desertifi cation control in Africa.

The Kubuqi model

Chinese companies in the ecological industry may provide a solution. With their success in developing the desert economy in China， they are exploring possibilities to bring ecological projects to Africa.

In October 2018， the ELION Group， an ecological company in Inner Mongolia， another major area subject to severe desertification in China， signed a memorandum of understanding （MoU） with the Council of the Oriental Region of Morocco in Oujda to address desertification in that region. They were considering forest restoration and clean energy development as likely areas of cooperation， according to ELION President Wang Wenbiao.

In the same month， ELION signed another MoU with Nigerias southern province of Imo on projects involving desertifi cation control， agriculture and development of new energy resources.

These cooperation projects followed the conclusion of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held a month earlier， where China proposed green development， including desertification control， as part of its eight major initiatives to expand cooperation with Africa.

Wang said ELIONs experience in desertification control over its 30 years of management of Inner Mongolias Kubuqi Desert， the seventh largest desert in China with an area of about 18，600 square km， could be helpful in Africa.

Since its founding in 1988 as a salt producer in Kubuqi， ELION has been contributing to greening the desert. In so doing， it has developed what is called the Kubuqi model， a sustainable approach of balancing a desert economy and environmental protection. By developing industries suitable for the desert， such as solar energy and licorice planting， as well as carrying out large-scale anti-desertifi cation projects， the desert economy is thriving and the economic gains in return provide funds for further control efforts.

“This model is suitable for regions where the environment is harsh， vulnerable or contaminated， as is the case in Africa，”Wang told Beijing Review.

Thirty years down the line， Kubuqi is a vastly different place. In 2016， vegetation coverage in the desert increased to 53 percent from 3-5 percent in 1988. The revenue generated has lifted more than 100，000 local people living in the desert out of poverty.

Balance is the key

Speaking on the prospects of China-Africa cooperation over desertification control， Xu said desertification is caused partly by natural factors such as climate change and partly by human activity. It is difficult for humans to change nature， so it is impossible to solve desertifi cation 100 percent at this point， he said. But Xu remains optimistic that with proper control measures， the part of desertification caused by human activity can be addressed.

The success of initiatives in Kubuqi adds weight to his view.

In the distant past， the desert was once a fertile， lush land along the northern rim of the Yellow River， one of Chinas key waterways. Desertification only began with the influx of people into this area during the Western Han Dynasty （206 B.C.-A.D. 25）. Intensifi ed human activity transformed Kubuqi into a desert over the past two centuries.

This story is similar to what happened in Africa. Studies show that the massive Sahara Desert was covered with lush vegetation 10，000 years ago， until the arrival of humans.

“For desertification control， the key is to find a balance between the limited resources in deserts， especially water resources， and the human need for these resources，” said Xu. “If we plan reasonably， make rational use of resources and live in peace with the environment， we will suffer less from desertifi cation； otherwise， nature will take its revenge on us.”