20080124 China's deserts shrinks, erosion risk lingers

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn China's desertification acreage had shrunk by 37,900 square kilometers from 2000 to 2004 about 20 percent of desertification areas in the country had so far been improved China had a desertification acreage of 2.6 million square kilometers with 400 million people affected the government had made great efforts to convert the deserts into forestry and pasture and fund other projects to restore healthy forest ecosystems. The 10-year project aimed to help conserve wetlands, restore grassland, control rats and pests, prevent land desertification, plant trees, resettle residents, offer safe drinking water to rural people, renovate riverways, Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu on Tuesday called on countries to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to faithfully fulfil their pledges to continue their fight against desertification. Farmers plant grass to stabilise sand dunes at the edge of the Mu Us Desert in Lingwu, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region