Taklamakan "Dialogue" Sahara - China Africa Joins Hands to Combat Desertification Observation Expert | Africa | Taklamakan

A protective forest on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, with newly ripe mulberries hanging from its branches. Zenab Bola from Ethiopia picked a fruit from a mulberry tree and put it in his mouth, sweet and overflowing his tongue, but his heart was filled with a myriad of flavors.

Bola grew up in the famine caused by the ecological crisis of desertification and regarded desertification as a lifelong enemy. On the eve of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on June 17th, Bora and experts from countries on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa were attending a training course on desertification control in Xinjiang, China, to investigate China's desertification prevention and control technologies.

From Korla to Hotan, from the conference room to the sandy fields, this dialogue, separated by thousands of miles and connecting the two major deserts of the world, brings more green hope to the world.

Meeting Across Thousands of Miles

The No. 12 well house is isolated next to a desert road with only vehicles passing by. Nearby are neatly arranged photovoltaic panels, like a deep blue island, absorbing the energy of the scorching sun in the sandy sea.

The bus, fully loaded with participants from the Central African Desert Control Training Course, drove along the Tarim Desert Highway to Room 12 Water Well. There are a total of 109 such stations along this highway that crosses the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert, providing power for the protection forest's water pumping and drip irrigation, as well as the daily lives of workers.

The students got off the car and seemed to have been completely exhausted from their long journey in the past few days. Bola and the Minister of State for Irrigation and Low Lands of Ethiopia, Ndrias Geta, circled around the photovoltaic panels several times, brushing away the floating dust with their hands, bending down to observe the drip irrigation belt laid on the ground, and carefully studying the introduction materials of photovoltaic power generation drip irrigation facilities.

Geta said that photovoltaic drip irrigation facilities are easy to install and have no carbon emissions, allowing for flexible adjustment of land moisture content. If combined with water conservancy systems, they can conserve rainy season precipitation for dry season irrigation. "This is exactly the solution that our country urgently needs.".

Nigerian student AbdulHamid Bara wears a local costume called "Kaftan" robe every day and carefully smoothes out every wrinkle while riding in the car. But when he arrived in the desert, he didn't care about these things and always took the lead in the hands-on practical exercises.

The head of ecology and forestry at the Ministry of Environment of Kano State, following the instructions and demonstrations of Chinese experts, filled a strip shaped biodegradable lactic acid fiber sandbag with sand, arranged it in a grid shape, and then picked up a heavy hammer to knock the small stakes into the sand, enclosing it with a high-density sand fixation net.

"Why is the specification of the sand fixing grid one meter by one meter?" "Is this green sand fixing net plastic? Is it biodegradable?"...... After the operation, Bala kept asking Wang Yongdong, senior engineer of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, before he could take a picture of the dust on his body.

On June 12th, at the Taklamakan Desert Mechanical Sand Prevention Demonstration Zone, Chinese experts demonstrated the installation process of a new type of sand prevention net to African students. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaolong

More than a decade ago, Bala was still a teacher and learned the mechanical sand prevention method of using local materials in Gansu. "After returning, I led a research project and taught these methods to nearly 70 students, who then brought the technology to different regions of Nigeria," said Barra.

During this inspection, he discovered upgraded versions and integrated versions of the original technology. He said, "Scientific methods for combating desertification are very important, and I cherish this opportunity to broaden my horizons. I must learn them firsthand to have the confidence to go back and teach others."

On June 12th, at the Taklamakan Desert Mechanical Sand Prevention Demonstration Zone, Chinese experts demonstrated the installation process of a new type of sand prevention net to African students. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Shengbin

This is the second time that Xinjiang Institute of Health has launched a technical training course on the construction of the African "Green Great Wall", which will open on June 8th and last for 13 days. As part of this training course, the 3rd Taklamakan Desert Forum will be held in Korla from the 10th to the 12th.

Jia Xiaoxia, a science and technology project official at the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, said at the forum that the Convention supports all parties affected by drought and desertification to strengthen scientific based decision-making. "We need to work together to promote scientific awareness, share knowledge and technology, and improve action capabilities.".

Only by following the path can one achieve great success. Respecting scientific laws and adhering to scientific desertification control is the consensus of experts from China and Africa.

Mauritanian student Omar Dialo has a lot of feelings about this. He said that in order to develop the most scientific plan, Chinese experts flew to Mauritania no less than 10 times and ultimately decided to establish a demonstration zone for rapid fixation of quicksand and water-saving irrigation to address the urgent issues in the local area.

Lei Qiangqiang, a researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Natural Science and Technology, said that the plans for Sino African cooperation in desertification control were only proposed after multiple on-site inspections and repeated research. "In Nigeria, our focus is on preventing and controlling soil erosion, while in Ethiopia, we focus on restoring degraded grasslands." China has also benefited from cooperation, and "cooperation with African countries is very helpful for Chinese researchers to better explore the causes and driving mechanisms of desertification.".

Desertification prevention and control is a great undertaking related to the sustainable development of humanity. China and Africa continue to engage in policy dialogue and information sharing, and continuously promote this cause with scientifically proven solutions through practice.

Friendship formed by sand

During the inspection of the Tarim Desert Highway, Omar Danradi Dahiru, the head of the Nigeria Africa Desertification Control Initiative, learned that the Haloxylon ammodendron tree has characteristics such as drought resistance and saline alkali tolerance. He approached Chinese expert Xu Xinwen and gestured, wondering if the Haloxylon ammodendron tree could be cultivated through cutting instead of sowing.

"We all use seeds to grow seedlings in the breeding base, and then transplant them to the sandy land. Cutting is not enough," Xu Xinwen said. "Nigeria only has rainy and dry seasons, and the Haloxylon ammodendron trees have to bloom in spring and bear fruit in autumn. I'm afraid it's not easy to live there!"

"How do you know if you don't give it a try?" asked Dashilu

"Okay, let's try the cooperation demonstration zone in Nigeria," Xu Xinwen and Daxilu smiled at each other.

The two met 12 years ago, when Xu Xinwen first visited Nigeria for inspection. Coincidentally, on June 17th, World Day for the Prevention and Control of Desertification and Drought, he planted a young native Nigerian tree with Dashiru and others to commemorate that day.

Dahiru did not know that Xu Xinwen was awarded the "Annual Mover of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" because of his long-term roots in the desert and research on desertification control technology, but he admired Xu Xinwen's professionalism. "To become such a person, one must possess exceptional abilities," said Dahru.

There has always been a leather patchwork cushion on the sofa in Xu Xinwen's home, with his name embroidered on it. That was a gift prepared by Dahiro when he went to Nigeria in 2018.

"Da Xilu is an active and energetic person who values Chinese experts and arranges things meticulously." Speaking of this friend, Xu Xinwen was full of praise. Under the influence of Dashiru, many Nigerian students came to Xinjiang to study abroad and further their education.

According to information provided by Xinjiang, Chinese experts are working on building a technology demonstration zone in Kano Oblast in northern Nigeria, which combines the optimization of protective forests and economic functions. Currently, four trial species have been selected from over 10 local tree species in Nigeria and promoted to local communities.

A reporter from Xinhua News Agency recently conducted on-site visits and found that it is not easy to build such a park. The park is located in a remote area near Gualmay Village in Kano Prefecture, covering an area of approximately 4 hectares and surrounded by barbed wire. After taking a 40 minute flight from the Nigerian capital Abuja to the city center of Kano, it takes about an hour and a half to drive on bumpy dirt roads.

At present, there are more than 50 households in Guaermai Village, and the village roads and a small square are covered by yellow sand. The thickest part of the sand can reach up to the back of the feet. Project volunteer Bara Muhammad has lived there for generations.

"We are truly grateful for this collaborative project." He said that sandstorms can sometimes destroy crops and even houses, causing some people to move out of their villages to the city to make a living. "But our family is deeply attached to our homeland, and now this project shows us hope.".

On June 12th, at the Taklamakan Desert Mechanical Sand Control Demonstration Zone, African and Central Asian students visited new sand fixation technologies. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Shengbin

"These African countries are all developing countries and have no choice but to seek survival and space in the desert," said Xu Xinwen, born in rural Shandong in the 1960s. "I know the hardships and I really want to share the experience I gained from practicing in China with them."

Sincerity and sincerity, sharing hardships together. The prevention and control of desertification has connected the hearts of the people of China and Africa, and their common expectation for a beautiful home has crossed the desert and mountains, stirring up more spiritual resonance in the cooperation between China and Africa.

Mutual Protection of Homeland

When Bora was a child, she made a sweet discovery: colorful flowers on different lands can give honey different colors and flavors.

After growing up, he developed a strong interest in ecological restoration and went to China to pursue a doctoral degree in desertification prevention and control. Currently, he works at the Irrigation and Livestock Development Bureau of Oromia Oblast, Ethiopia. He said that the reason for choosing this career is to protect more land in Ethiopia, where cyclical droughts occur frequently, so that the land can grow the flowers, plants, and crops it should have, so that people no longer suffer from famine and can taste the taste of different foods.

The Sahel region in Africa has been plagued by the southern invasion of the Sahara Desert for a long time. In 2007, 11 sub Saharan countries established the Pan African "Green Great Wall" organization under the leadership of the African Union, with plans to build a protective belt about 15 kilometers wide and 7000 kilometers long, spanning across Africa and blocking the erosion of the world's largest desert.

On June 13, Chinese experts introduced desert plants to African and Central Asian students at the Cele Desert Research Station of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Shengbin

Marcelin Sanu, Senior Director of the Secretariat of the Pan African "Green Great Wall" organization, said that the reason for jointly launching the "Green Great Wall" plan is to jointly combat desertification through cross-border cooperation.

"This is an important part of achieving sustainable development goals globally," said Zhang Linxiu, Director of the International Ecosystem Management Partnership of the United Nations Environment Programme, evaluating the initiative initiated by African countries.

According to the data provided by Xinjiang Shengdi, after long-term systematic monitoring, experimental research, and promotion and application, Chinese and African experts have built a demonstration area for rapid fixation of quicksand and water-saving irrigation in the capital city of Nouakchott, Mauritania; Establishing an experimental demonstration zone for "economic forest conservation" in Kano Oblast, Nigeria; In response to the ecological restoration and reconstruction of shrubland grasslands in low altitude areas of Ethiopia, a sustainable development model for shrubland grassland ecological restoration and livelihood will be established, which includes "clear irrigation and grass cultivation, enclosure and rotational grazing, and combination of grazing and animal husbandry". A 200 hectare fence enclosure demonstration area and a 2 hectare watershed restoration forest and grass demonstration area will be built.

Central African experts have found that the total area of desertification in the Sahel region showed a decreasing trend from 72.31% to 69.23% between 2000 and 2020.

The inspiration for building Africa's "Green Great Wall" actually comes from China's "Three North" shelter forest system project, which starts from Heilongjiang in the east and ends in Xinjiang in the west.

On June 13th, Chinese technicians introduced desert plants to African students at the Tazhong Botanical Garden in the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Shengbin

Poplar stands tall, sand dates shade, and willows stretch endlessly... As we walk through the desert, we can see protective forest belts from time to time when we look out of the bus window full of training class students. Dialo, who serves as the technical consultant for the "Green Great Wall" organization in Mauritania, exclaimed, "If it weren't for witnessing it firsthand, it would be difficult to have such a direct perception of the scale of China's protective forests, and these forest belts are only a small part of China's protective forest system."

The achievements of China's "Three North" shelter forest project have also strengthened the confidence of African "Green Great Wall" builders. Ethiopian Forestry Development Agency official Bitu Hibabau said that China has created miracles in preventing and controlling desertification through the implementation of protective forest projects. "For countries aspiring to prevent and control desertification, China is a good learning object.".

In order to build a harmonious and beautiful home, China and Africa are promoting more and more green development cooperation.

In 2017, the Xinjiang Institute of Biotechnology and the Pan African "Green Great Wall" organization jointly established the Pan African "Green Great Wall" research center. The Xinjiang Institute of Biotechnology, as a technical support provider, provided technical training, experimental demonstrations, etc.

The Sino African Joint Research Center, jointly established by China and the Kenyan government, has been established for 10 years at Jomo Kenyatta Agricultural and Technical University in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Its main research areas include biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization of biological resources, and cooperation with the Pan African "Green Wall" organization is also one of the center's key tasks.

You have me, I have you, China and Africa have always been a community of shared destiny. Hand in hand, explore the future, and continue to exchange and cooperate in the field of ecological and environmental protection between China and Africa, so that desertification prevention and control can benefit humanity and jointly protect the harmonious coexistence of the Earth's home.