Sand Stoppers of the Ulan Buh Desert

By staff reporter ZHU HONG

Water from the Yellow River, augmented by snow melt, is introduced to the Ulan Buh Desert, benefiting plant growth and the ecosystem in general.                      Chang Xin

ULAN Buh is one of China’s eight largest deserts. Located in the west of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, it is notorious for being the source of sandstorms that periodically scour northern China. But had you come to Dengkou County on the northeast edge of the desert this summer, the lines of bushy grass and swathes of trees spreading across the sand dunes would have come as a surprise. “It used to be a sea of sand here. But after 10 years of effort, we now have a sand-fixing forest, 191 kilometers long and 500 meters wide in the eastern part of the desert,” Ma Xuexian, deputy director of the county’s Forestry Bureau, says, proudly describing the oasis. “It prevents the desert from expanding eastward, effectively protecting the environment of Dengkou and the surrounding area.”

The Search for a Solution

Attempts to control the sands began back in the 1950s, but as the original tree belt aged, a 40-km-long gap gradually opened up, with consequent deterioration of the environment, fierce winds and sandstorms. Nie Zhenhe, now in his 70s, recalls how things were: “Even if you wiped all the windowsills and cupboards at night, you’d find them covered with a layer of sand in the morning – two centimeters deep sometimes! And on windy days it was even worse. Tons of sand were deposited outside our doors and we couldn’t get out until it had been moved out by the cart-load.”

In 1998, a new desertification control project was launched in Dengkou County. Ma Xuexian arrived here some 20 years ago as a young university graduate working for the Forestry Bureau. He is visibly moved as he describes the difficulties that beset the tree-planting program designed to create a shelter belt: “The Ulan Buh Desert got only 100 millimeters of precipitation a year, but evaporation was 17 times that figure, which made the environment too dry for most vegetation. On top of that, sandstorms usually tore up lines of saplings, which meant years of effort and millions of investment would be gone with the wind.”

Years of tireless endeavor has amassed for Dengkou County a battery of simple but practical methods for sand control. “Since there were no roads in the desert, the materials for planting trees had to be carried by humans or pack animals,” Ma explains. “We spent most of our time actually getting to the site. Furthermore, people had to spend nights in the desert which could be ultra-hot during the day but freezing cold at night.” Dengkou decided to build roads into the desert. “Along the main road we planted trees to fix the sand. Once this succeeded, we constructed sub-roads about two or three kilometers away from the main one, and planted trees along the new roads too. Gradually a whole road system was formed, with a forest shelter belt alongside it.

So as to slow down the movement of the sands, the dunes were covered with a system of 1x1- or 1x2-meter grids made of straw and clay. A type of tenacious desert tree was then planted inside the grids. This method stabilizes the sand and protects newly-planted shrubs from being uprooted by the wind and buried by drifting sand. “We used to replant saplings at least three times, but now the survival rate is up to 60 percent and the moving sand is for the most part settled,” says Ma.

Sacsaoul is the desert tree known for its ability to survive drought, and is planted all over the Ulan Buh Desert to fix sands. It has amazing vitality, a high survival rate and low planting cost.

The Appliance of Science

In an effort to improve the sapling survival rate, the local government invited scientific organizations to resolve some knotty problems, subsequently rolling out new technologies to excellent effect.

Taking advantage of its proximity to the Yellow River, Dengkou County excavated a channel linking the river with the desert so as to introduce melt-water to its arid areas. “The water table was getting lower by the day, posing huge difficulties for environmental management and farming,” says Ma. “But once river water is channeled in, the moisture content of the desert increases with the natural diffusion of water vapor, encouraging plant growth. The project is an important link in the ecosystem and at the same time relieves flooding in the lower reaches of the Yellow River that often occurs when it thaws in early spring.” Standing beside the canal, with the wind rippling the water and birds chirping nearby, the hot desert air seems to disappear. Started in July 2009, the project has already introduced water to 6,700 hectares of desert, the ultimate target being 20,000 hectares.

Ma Xuexian says it costs RMB 600 to control one mu (15 mu = 1 hectare) of desert, but they get only RMB 100 per mu from the government support fund, leaving a huge financial gap for them to bridge. As part of its battle against the sands, the Forestry Bureau is recruiting allies – enterprises and individuals – to develop Cistanche deserticola production. Cistanche deserticola, also called “desert ginseng,” is a TCM herbal ingredient with high economic value. “In association with research organizations, we launched a program in 2002 to look into the grafting of Cistanche deserticola onto sacsaoul, and started promoting the technology two years later. Grafting it to the root of sacsaoul combines desertification control with economic benefits. So far there are 2,000 hectares of cistanche under cultivation, and 10-plus enterprises engaged in this industry.”

Neccessity Is the Mother of Profit

Inner Mongolia Wangyedi Desert Cistanche Biological Co., Ltd. is one of the biggest companies in this field, with a turnover of over RMB 10 million last year. It outputs the product as slices, teabags and beverages. “Sand control is ‘a dry subject,’ but this plant brings it to life,” quips general manager Wei Jun.

“We provide seeds for free, and train farmers in our planting base. They can master the technology in an hour,” he continues. “We sign contracts with farmers to collect their output at the market price. We buy up every ounce they produce.”

Wuritu is a Mongolian farmer living nearby the desert. He planted 10 mu of cistanche in 2005. “The lowest yield has been 200 kg per mu. At RMB 15 per kg, every mu can generate 3,000 yuan a year,” he explains. “I used to plant about 40 mu of crops, but made just 10,000 yuan a year. I earn three times that now! And cistanche is way easier to grow. After harvesting, it just grows back the next year without affecting the sacsaoul.”

The economic value of cistanche has attracted local people to jump on the sand control wagon. “Previously, it was common for sacsaoul to die in a couple of years because of poor management, but now people are keen to nurture it. Fixing sands, planting sacsaoul and cistanche have become part of their life,” says Ma Xuexian.

Of the 284,600 hectares of desert in Dengkou, over 60 percent is effectively under control. Old Nie Zhenhe, who has spent his life on the desert’s edge, has witnessed the benefits brought about by the sand control project. “Big sandstorms are getting fewer, and the animal population is expanding. Hedgehogs, foxes and Mongolian gazelles were seen this spring, which was unimaginable before. ”