"Green Dyed" Homeland - Gansu Practice of Three Dimensional Sand Prevention and Control, Embracing Gulang County in Wuwei City | Babusha | Desert

Open the map of China and point towards the Qinba Mountains from outside the Yumen Pass. Gansu Province is like a jade stick, stretching across the northwest of the motherland, and also like a three-dimensional barrier, resisting the southern invasion of the desert.

Gansu Province has a large area and diverse types of desert ecosystems, with over 12 million hectares of desertified land. The terrain and landforms are complex, and the ecological environment is fragile. In recent years, the people of Longyuan have been constantly exploring and practicing, from single sand prevention and control to coordinated management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand systems. A new picture of desert ecological protection and restoration is slowly unfolding on the land of Longyuan.

At the Babusha Forest Farm, director Guo Wangang and everyone went to the sand control point. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

"Ba Bu Sha" and "Public Welfare Afforestation"

In midsummer, at the eastern end of Hexi Corridor and the southern edge of Tengger Desert, caragana and elaeagnus angustifolia flowers are in full bloom, and the fragrance of flowers is coming. Entering the Babusha Forest Farm in Gulang County, Wuwei City, director Guo Wangang is leading his staff to water a piece of Haloxylon ammodendron forest.

On June 2nd, at the first generation sand control point of Babusha, Guo Wangang, the director of Babusha Forest Farm, inspected the growth of trees. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

At the first generation sand control point of Babusha not far away, a white elm with a crown exceeding 10 meters stands proudly, and magpies build nests in the branches, occasionally chirping. Looking down along the trunk, some of the tree roots are exposed and extend in a tangled pattern, constantly giving birth to new elm seedlings.

On June 2nd, at the first generation sand control point of Babusha in Gulang County, Wuwei City, Guo Wangang, the director of Babusha Forest Farm, inspected the growth of white elms planted by his ancestors. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

"This tree was planted by our ancestors in 1978. Back then, it was a strong wind, and the strong wind blew away layers of sand buried on the roots. Look, the roots of these trees on the windward side were dug out." Guo Wangang caressed the newborn white elm with his hand, saying that the roots of the white elm tree were actually deeply rooted and had a strong vitality. "Generations of saplings are like generations of sand control workers, rooted in the desert and defending their homeland."

On June 2nd, at the first generation sand control point of Babusha in Gulang County, Wuwei City, Guo Wangang, the director of Babusha Forest Farm, inspected the roots of white elm trees blown out by the wind. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Ma Xiping

In Guo Wangang's memory, eight steps out of the sand is sand.

In the 1960s and 1970s, due to years of drought and lack of rain, yellow winds and black waves occasionally surged. Guo Wangang's ancestors had to unite and declare war on the desert. The "Six Old Men" of Ba Bu Sha drink cold water, sleep on the ground, and use methods such as "carrying donkeys and humans" to transport seedlings, water, and wheat grass to the desert for sand control. In 1983, Guo Wangang took over his father's shovel and became the second generation of sand controller.

In 1983, the first generation of "Six Old Men" from Babusha started a fire and cooked in "Diwozi". Map provided by Babusha Forest Farm

"At that time, the Ganwu Railway and Provincial Highway 308, which passed through Babusha, were often 'blocked' by sand, and the road protection team was clearing sand almost every day. Standing next to Provincial Highway 308, a train was speeding by. Guo Wangang recalled, 'This desert has been under control for more than a decade, and the sand has finally stopped burying the road. The road protection team has also withdrawn. Now, these two roads do not need to be cleared of sand, and there are many cars coming and going.'"

From continuous sand dunes to dense vegetation, as of now, the Babusha Forest Farm has completed over 280000 acres of sand control and afforestation, and the transition zone from the Babusha Oasis to the desert has been promoted by 30 kilometers as a whole.

At the arid Ma Gang sand control point in the northern sand area of Gulang County, the sand control personnel and the masses of Babusha Forest Farm are working together to build grass squares to suppress sand. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

Not bowing in the face of difficulties, daring to turn the desert into an oasis. Inspired by the spirit of struggle of the "Six Old Men" in Babusha, Guo Xi, the third generation of sand control personnel, led young people to run a "relay race" and drove large equipment such as engineering vehicles into the desert.

"Our ancestors' voluntary sand control relied heavily on human labor to advance. Nowadays, we have improved the efficiency of sand control through engineering methods." In the view of new era "sand control people" such as Guo Xi, everyone can become the inheritor of the Eight Steps Sand Spirit. "The Internet can also control desertification. No matter where you are, you can open your mobile phone to participate in emission reduction activities and accumulate energy to plant trees remotely."

On May 6th, the third generation of sand control personnel from Babusha took a group photo at Babusha Forest Farm. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Ma Xiping

Since 2017, Gansu, in collaboration with the China Greening Foundation, has completed over 1 million mu of social welfare desertification control and afforestation projects such as Huawei, Tencent, and Ant Forest, planting over 100 million holes of various trees.

The spirit of sand control passed down from generation to generation and the continuous innovation of sand control methods have brought about earth shattering changes in the Hexi Corridor, a key area for ecological protection and restoration of the northern sand prevention belt in China. Up to now, more than 1200 kilometers and over 4.6 million acres of windbreak and sand fixation forests have been built in the front area of sandstorms in the northern part of the Hexi Corridor. More than 470 sandstorms have been treated, and more than 1400 villages have been protected from the hazards of quicksand.

On June 2nd, in Gulang County, Wuwei City, employees of Babusha Forest Farm watered a piece of Haloxylon ammodendron forest. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

"Sand Control Magic Cube" and "Iron General"

In Minqin County, Wuwei City, the "Sand Township of China", which is surrounded by Badain Jaran and Tengger Desert, the grass checkered sand barrier, known as the "magic cube for sand control", crawls on the sand dunes. Over the years, from wielding a shovel to digging ditches and burying grass to "locking" yellow sand with mechanical equipment, people's tools for laying grass checkered sand barriers have been updated.

On May 31st, Chen Zhaozhong, a farmer from Xuebai Town, Minqin County, Wuwei City, used a new generation handheld sand barrier machine to press grass squares. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

Recently, to the delight of farmer Chen Zhaozhong, he has become proficient in the use of the new generation of handheld sand barrier machines. This guy, who is vividly referred to as the "Iron General" by the locals, spins his wheels around when he moves. I saw Chen Zhaozhong holding two wheels of "Iron General" and moving flexibly in the sand. In no time, several rows of wheat straw were automatically crushed into sand barriers. "This can replace some manual steps in the process of pressing grass squares, and the speed of sand control is much faster," he said.

Grass squares are laid on the sand, and plants are planted inside the squares, providing a good growth environment for sand plants like a mother holding a doll. The sand barrier forms a network, and the sand dunes gradually become fixed.

When there is little vegetation, sand runs quickly. How to race against sand? The response from the sand control personnel is to compete for time, efficiency, and cost. Facing difficulties, the researchers at the Gansu Provincial Institute of Desertification Control are friends with sand and continue to develop new equipment for desertification control.

"The new generation of handheld sand barrier machines can be used on sand dunes with different slopes, with an efficiency 4 to 6 times higher than manual operations." Xu Xianying, a second level researcher at the Gansu Provincial Institute of Desert Control, introduced that since 2020, more than 10000 acres of mechanical sand control have been completed using handheld sand barrier machines in Gansu, Inner Mongolia and other regions.

Bending down, sand control relies on machinery. Lift your head and take precautions in the cloud.

On May 31st, at the Minqin Sand Control Comprehensive Experimental Station of Gansu Provincial Institute of Desert Control, researchers inspected the filter bag device on the sand and dust storm observation tower. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Ma Xiping

At the Minqin Desert Control Comprehensive Experimental Station of Gansu Provincial Desert Control Research Institute, every time there is a sandstorm weather, engineer Wang Duoze has to enter the field scientific observation station to collect data. He removed the filter bag devices from the sandstorm observation tower one by one, collected the dust, and returned to the laboratory for drying and weighing. "The observation station can not only obtain wind and sand flow data, but also monitor vegetation conditions, soil and hydrological changes, and provide them to remote researchers for research after being connected to the cloud." Wang Duoze said.

Digital monitoring provides a reference for scientific desertification control and also attracts many overseas individuals interested in China's desertification prevention and control technology to come and learn from their experiences.

"After studying the theory and practical techniques of desertification control in Gansu, it is very helpful for us to carry out scientific desertification control," said Elena, an agricultural science and technology official from Namibia. She has participated in a training course on desertification prevention and ecological restoration technology in developing countries held in Gansu. "About a quarter of Namibia's territory is covered by deserts, and scientific and effective prevention and control of desertification, as well as solving the problem of food and clothing, are top priorities for our country," said Elena.

Since 2016, like Elena, government officials and technicians from 26 countries, including Botswana and Egypt, have also participated in international exchange activities on desertification prevention and control in Gansu. Scholar Aman from the Cairo Desert Research Center praised, "I have been to many countries, and there are not many places like Minqin where the shuttlecock grows into forests, which shows that China's scientific desertification control is very effective."

On May 31st, Xu Xianying, a second level researcher at the Gansu Provincial Institute of Desert Control, and researchers were inspecting the growth of tree seedlings in the Shazuidun Mechanical Sand Pressing Demonstration Zone in Minqin County. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

In Gansu, people who control desertification firmly believe in scientific sand control. The selection of tree species has evolved from "planting whatever you have" to planting trees and shrubs, and then to adapting planting methods based on local conditions such as "suitable for forests, suitable for wasteland, combining shrubs and grasses, and using water to establish forests". "The concept of sand prevention and control is becoming more scientific and reasonable, and the sustainability of desertification prevention and control is significantly enhanced," said Xu Xianying.

"Embrace" desert to green

In Jiuduntan Photovoltaic Sand Control Demonstration Park, Liangzhou District, Wuwei City, on the southeast edge of Tengger Desert, rows of high erected photovoltaic panels extend to the depths of the sand sea.

This is a photovoltaic power generation project filmed on February 18th at the Jiuduntan Photovoltaic Sand Control Demonstration Park in Liangzhou District, Wuwei City. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

"I can't believe that photovoltaics can also control desertification. As a farmer, I actually get paid in the desert!" Qin Zhaoping from Liangliang Town, Gulang County has been very busy lately, busy debugging the sprinkler system under the photovoltaic panels to take care of the thriving desert plants.

After noon, the sun was scorching in the desert, and fine sand was clinging to the sweating foreheads of the workers, who were still busy maintaining the sprinkler pipes. In their view, photovoltaic desertification control is a win-win situation that benefits future generations. "It can generate electricity, control desertification, and increase income by working here." The photovoltaic panels behind Qin Zhaoping are like a "blue ocean", emitting layers of halos.

Photovoltaic panels can provide shade and moisture, and are paired with water-saving irrigation to make plants vibrant. "The model of power generation on the board, planting under the board, breeding between boards, and sand control and soil improvement has deeply integrated the photovoltaic industry with ecological governance." Li Zhenhai, Deputy Director of the Development and Reform Commission of Wuwei City, introduced that this photovoltaic power station has planted more than 80000 camphor pine trees, laid sand barriers under the board, and planted more than 20000 acres of sand plants.

On June 1st, workers were protecting sprinkler irrigation pipelines in the Jiuduntan Photovoltaic Sand Control Demonstration Park in Liangzhou District, Wuwei City. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Ma Xiping

In the past, people by the sand sea were afraid of sand. Nowadays, they have changed their mindset and embraced the desert, becoming an important part of the sand industry chain, experiencing the vitality of rural revitalization.

When Jia Qiyu, who went from being a programmer to becoming a farm manager in love with the desert, returned to his hometown of Linze County, Zhangye City to start his own business, he always proudly took out two satellite comparison pictures separated by 7 years and exclaimed, "The forest farm that my employees and I have cultivated has advanced 14 kilometers towards the hinterland of the Badain Jilin desert."

This is a satellite comparison map of Huangjiabao Sand Area in Pingchuan Town, Linze County, Zhangye City obtained in 2014 and 2021. With the efforts of Jia Qiyu and the staff, this forest farm has advanced 14 kilometers towards the hinterland of the Badain Jilin Desert.

In 2008, Linze County, located on the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert, launched a pilot project for forest rights reform, providing preferential policies for entrepreneurs on forest rights transfer and understory economic development, attracting Jia Qiyu to march into the desert. From the initial transfer of over 9000 acres of forest land rights, to now planting nearly 50000 acres of Haloxylon ammodendron forests, grafting 38000 acres of Cistanche deserticola, and generating an annual sales revenue of 700000 yuan, for him, "greening" his home is no longer a dream.

Being able to benefit from the sand industry has given people a renewed understanding of the desert. Multiple sand areas in Gansu province are attempting to cultivate economically efficient desert plants to develop their industries, activating the economic benefits of the desert and feeding back the circular development of desertification prevention and control. As of the end of 2020, the cumulative output value of Gansu's sand industry reached 89.6 billion yuan, with more than 1000 sand industry enterprises and bases developed, and more than 2000 sand related farmer cooperatives.

This is an artificial Haloxylon ammodendron forest captured on May 31st in Xuebai Town, Minqin County, Wuwei City. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Gansu has completed comprehensive management of over 21 million mu of desertified land. According to the results of the sixth national desertification and desertification monitoring, the desertification and desertification land in Gansu Province have decreased by 2627 square kilometers and 1045 square kilometers respectively, and the degree of desertification and desertification continues to decrease. Gansu vigorously promotes ecological governance and restoration projects in key areas such as the Hexi Corridor, the Yellow River Basin, and the Loess Plateau, with significant results in coordinated and coordinated governance

From "sand entering and people retreating" to "green entering and sand retreating", the once dry desert lake Qingtu Lake reappears with rippling blue waves, and multiple former sand areas in the Hexi Corridor are now lush with greenery and abundant water and grass

From "chaos to governance" to "significant results", the ecological environment governance and restoration of Qilian Mountains continue to advance, and damaged ecosystems are able to recover and thrive. Rare species such as snow leopards and white lipped deer frequently appear

From "repairing grasslands" to "defending the Yellow River", Gansu takes on the "upstream responsibility", and through wetland protection and restoration, the Gannan Maqu Wetland has significantly improved its water conservation and supply capacity for the Yellow River Basin

On June 2nd, in Gulang County, Wuwei City, employees of Babusha Forest Farm watered a piece of Haloxylon ammodendron forest. Photo by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Fan Peishen

From "deep green" to "evergreen", the work of sand prevention and ecological protection in Gansu Province is a long and arduous task. If one does not advance, they will retreat. "Next, Gansu will continue to adhere to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands, vigorously promote the construction of key ecological projects such as the 'Three North', comprehensively strengthen the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and desertification, and build a strong ecological security barrier in the western part of the country," said Zhang Xuchen, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Gansu Province.