Gansu introduces new desert control methods

Updated: 2016-11-23
By Ge Jieru ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Northwest China’s Gansu province is facing up to the challenges of ecological protection, and stopping the spread of its deserts.

Lying between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus, Gansu has an intensely dry and arid landscape. Statistics show that up to 195,000 square meters of land are affected by desertification.

After thorough research and testing, Gansu Minqin Desert Control Station has created six new styles of checkerboard patterns designed to reduce sand movement and stop the spreading of desert.

The patterns involve crisscrossing either straws of wheat, rice or reeds to reduce the effects of wind, and increasing sand fixation.

Employees from Minqin Desert Control Station check on data in the Badain Jaran Desert, on Nov 21. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Employees from Minqin Desert Control Station take readings at a desert control experimental zone on Nov 21. [Photo/ xinhuanet.com]

Edited by Owen Fishwick