The Taklamakan and Kumtag deserts in the Tarim Basin of
Xinjiang are rapidly moving closer. Along national road 218
running between the two deserts, 197 sites have already been
encroached by drifting sand.
The present ecological environment in the southern part of Xinjiang
may show some local signs of improvement, however the overall
picture is one of deterioration with the growth of the deserts.
The Bayingoleng Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture, located at the edge
of the Taklamakan Desert, is one of the most severely affected
areas. Some 45 percent of its 482,700 square kilometers (186,322
square miles) territory is now desert.
According to Chen Xinyou, deputy-chief of the Bayingoleng Mongolia
Autonomous Prefecture, along the 2,000-kilometer (1,242-mile) dust
line between the Taklamakan and Kumtag deserts, drift dunes are
rolling forward at a speed of five to ten meters per year. The most
severely affected counties of Qiemo and Ruoqiang are under threat
of being swallowed by desert. The environment necessary to support
the livelihoods of the herdsmen of the region is being lost.
An
investigation conducted by ecological experts shows that the
tendency for the two big deserts in Tarim Basin to merge is related
to a massive destruction of the vegetation lying between the two
deserts. The main forestry species involved is the
diversiform-leaved poplar.
Records show that the water flow of the Tarim River supporting the
poplar forest decreased annually from 1959 to 1983. The
320-kilometer (199-mile) river course in the lower reaches is now
dry and the desert-affected area in the catchment area of the Tarim
River has increased from 66 percent to 82 percent.
To
prevent the two big deserts in Xinjiang from joining together
completely, central government has invested 10.7 billion yuan
(US$1.3 billion) in the Tarim River. This is to ensure an adequate
amount of water in the lower reaches necessary to preserve the
poplar forest. In addition, a new green belt is planned between the
two deserts as a living shield against the sand.
(china.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, June 27, 2002)