Controlling Drifting Sand in Cele County

An agricultural oasis of over 23,000 ha on the southern margins of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of west China, about 2,100 km south-west of the capital Urumqi.

The problem

Limited and variable water resources mainly from seasonal rivers;
Southerly encroachment of sand dunes onto agricultural land and infra-structure, resulting in population migration
- the county town has moved three times because of sand encroachment;
Hyper-aridity (35mm rainfall) with extreme temperatures, severe wind storms, high evapotranspiration, sparse vegetation and a fragile ecosystem;
Increasing population pressure on the environment, resulting in over-exploitation of woodland fringing the oasis, the expansion of agriculture into marginal areas and water shortages;
Diminishing resources and poverty.

The solution

Implementation of a comprehensive protection system using physical and biological barriers to reduce wind velocity and thus sand movement - the outer physical barrier is a sand trapping channel scoured by summer floods; the biological barriers consist of protected grass/shrub, all shrub, and shelterbelt bands established, using summer flood waters, progressively inwards towards the oasis centre;
Rehabilitation of encroached land within the oasis for shelterbelts, fuelwood and forestry, horticulture and agriculture;
Implementation using voluntary labour by beneficiaries so creating ‘ownership’ over the innovations.

The project achievements

Control over southward movement of sand dunes;
Pushing back of mobile dune front by 5 km, allowing families to move back onto previously abandoned land and also new settlement;
Treatment of 10,860 ha of threatened land, including 590ha to fuelwood and timber forests and 270 ha to agricultural use;
Increased vegetative cover - to a 50-60 per cent cover in natural vegetation areas- and increased biomass;
Improved farm incomes from enlarged holdings;
Greater availability of fodder resulting in a doubling of herd sizes, based on a cut-and-carry feeding system;
Income growth of 180 per cent because of increased production.;
Prevention of dislocation of households resulting in official and local regard for the system.

The overall achievements

The development of an effective approach to control mobile dunes;
Long-term sustainable management systems for rehabilitated forest areas and the progressive rehabilitation of agricultural lands;
Local community involvement in maintenance and repair ensuring sustainability;
Acceptance of approach by county government with an annual budget allocation;
Overall improvement in the ecology of the area.

This project was implemented by the Xinjiang Institute of Biology,Pedology and Desert Research and the local communities with funds from the Chinese Government.

Success Stories: Asia Pacific