Turning back the sands

Alxa League Desertification Environmental management Community involvement Water management Green wall Renewable energy Alxa League   Alxa (pronounced Alashan) League is a provincial area at the westernmost end of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It covers an area of 270,000 square kilometres. It has a population of just 200,000, mostly living in the town of Bayanhot, while the rest live nomadic lives on farms scattered through the province. There are two major deserts which dominate the area: the Tenggeli Desert, characterised by tall drifting sand dunes, and the Gobi Desert, the stony remains after the sand dunes have moved on. These deserts have an enormous temperature range, from highs of 40 degrees Celsius in summer to very cold winter temperatures of below minus 30 degrees Celsius. The Yellow (Huang) River forms a border to the area. Other water access is from the seasonal Ochina River and more than 500 lake basins, but these sources are affected by silting and salinity. Desertification Photo 1: Grazing too many goats loosens the ground cover, leading to desertification of the fragile environment. Adrian Williams, ACIL The Mongolian herding households of the area rely on their camels, goats and sheep to make a living, but drought and land and water degradation is limiting their lifestyle and ability to earn an income. Overgrazing means that plants have been destroyed or died and are no longer able to stabilise the sand dunes. Loss of topsoil reduces the grass and consequently the quality of wool from camels, goats and sheep and herders’ incomes. The wind carries the loosened sand westward, causing silting up of the rivers and lakes, health problems and economic difficulties. The sandstorms have increased in frequency and have extended as far as Beijing and even the Korean Peninsular and Japan. The increasing frequency and severity of the sandstorms have prompted government action. A partnership between the Australian and Chinese Governments is funding the Alxa League Environmental Rehabilitation and Management Project. The project has a series of subprojects which aim to control desertification. Some aspects target improving environmental management through educating people about developing more sustainable practices. Other subprojects explore alternative sources of income for the herders who are most affected by the land degradation. Environmental management Photo 2: Crossbred sheep keep warm in their winter pen at Bayangaole. Adrian Williams, ACIL Herders are learning how to protect the natural resources. To stop overgrazing, some herders have fenced off areas to protect them from animals and are growing medicinal plants like the desert ginseng. Others are experimenting with breeding better animals, so they can reduce the number of animals and the impact on the land without reducing their income. They are also trialling different forms of feeding for improved growth and breeding rates. Community involvement The project has worked with education bureaus and the community to develop an environmental curriculum, the first of its kind in China, which is supported by textbooks both in Mongolian and in Chinese. Students have assisted in the monitoring of revegetation sites and been able to recognise the value of the new practices. Water management Photo 3: Project leaders show farmers that irrigation water and fertiliser can be found four metres below the surface, way out of the reach of crop plants. This waste of water, fertiliser and money highlights the need for farmers to use water efficiently. Adrian Williams, ACIL. Around the Yellow River there is an extensive area of channels for irrigation, but salinity and overuse of groundwater has degraded the area. The channels have been sealed with concrete to limit water loss. Low pressure pipes and drip tapes are achieving water savings and reducing salinity problems. Green wall Deforestation in the Helan mountain range (Helanshan) along the southern boundary of Alxa League is affecting the rich biodiversity of plants and animals. The blowing sands are also affecting two important Buddhist temples which hold a special place in the Mongolian culture. Stands of trees are being planted along the desert edge to limit the spread of the sand into these areas. Renewable energy Changing practices from using trees as fuel wood to using bio-gas for cooking is also protecting trees. Methane digesters built under pig pens convert the wastes into clean, green energy, supplying roughly 80 per cent of an average household's fuel requirements. Householders can earn an income from the by-products which they sell for fertilising crops. The sharing of ideas between experts in Australia and China, and the consultation of people who live in the area, is leading to changes which are having a positive effect on the environment and people's livelihoods.