A variety of solutions to soil erosion will be adopted in China's worst-affected areas, a high-level environment official said yesterday.

Erosion and consequent disasters such as land degradation, landslides and mud-rock flows have affected 3.56 million square kilometers, or 37.1 percent, of the country's land mass.

The issue will become one of the worst menaces to the security of China's ecosystems and the sustainability of the economy if it is not brought under control, water officials warned yesterday.

"To tackle the issue effectively we have designated 42 worst-eroded areas throughout Chinese mainland and worked out countermeasures," E Jingping, vice-minister of water resources, announced at a briefing held in Beijing.

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

Covering more than 2.2 million square kilometers, 23 percent of China's total territory, in 25 provinces and regions, the 42 erosion-control zones will help local authorities adjust their measures based on local conditions.

For example, those causing new erosion through activities such as mining and road building must pay compensation for damaging the environment.

To protect ecosystems in the buffer zones, mostly China's major forest regions, big river headwaters, key grasslands and oases, logging bans and overgrazing measures will be adopted to prevent such ecological barriers from being damaged.

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

Also, 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)