A range of measures to tackle land erosion will be adopted in China's worst affected areas, a high-level environment official said yesterday at a briefing in Beijing.

Soil erosion and its knock-on effects such as land degradation, landslides and mud-rock flows have to date affected 3.56 million square kilometers, or 37.1 percent, of the country's land mass.

Water officials warned that the worsening situation will become a serious threat to the security of China's ecosystems and the sustainability of the economy if it is not brought under control.

"To tackle the issue effectively, we have developed measures to be implemented in 42 areas throughout the mainland that are under threat of serious land erosion," E Jingping, vice minister of water resources.

One of the measures developed include imposing fines on those found responsible for damaging the environment through activities such as mining and road building.

Under the national erosion-control program, the first of its kind since 1949, all affected areas have been marked as key protection zones.

The 42 erosion control zones cover more than 2.2 million square kilometers, or 23 percent of the mainland's total land area, in 25 provinces and regions.

To protect ecosystems in the buffer zones made up largely of China's major forested regions, big river headwaters, key grasslands and oases, logging bans and overgrazing penalties will be imposed.

In erosion-control zones in western areas with fragile ecosystems, farming on sloped fields will be stopped.

In addition, the state will help farmers build terraced fields to ensure their basic grain supply.

Liu Zhen, director of the Water and Soil Conservation Department under the Ministry of Water Resources, said the program "will serve as a key strategic step to ensure the further development of China's economy and society in the years to come".

(China Daily May 9, 2006)