Tibet reaps benefits of program that halts the desert鈥檚 advance
Print Edition
Karma Ngodrup remembers when the grass behind the family鈥檚 house was always buried in yellow sand, and firewood was often blown away by strong sandstorms.
The scene in Chanang County in southwest China鈥檚 Tibet Autonomous Region is different today with its clear air and lush green forests covering the mountains.
Tibet鈥檚 environment has significantly improved after a decades-long ecological protection drive emphasizing afforestation and new energy promotion.
For years, human activity threatened the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau and accelerated desertification in the region, making environmental protection in Tibet an urgent task.
From the 1960s, the central government has taken a variety of measures to tackle environmental issues, including creating state-level nature reserves and launching key ecological projects.
Those measures are said to have prevented or controlled the desertification of at least 108,000 hectares of land so far.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for me to describe the huge difference,鈥 Ngodrup said.
Water conservation in the forests, plains and wetlands of the Tibet Plateau stood at 91 billion cubic meters between 2008 and 2012, an increase of 1.01 percent compared to 1990 and 2008, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
鈥淏etter water conservation guarantees sufficient water flow for international waterways that run through Tibet while improving the ecosystem,鈥 said ecology expert Dawa Tsering.
The Tibet government is also promoting the use of electricity, methane and solar power. New energy sources take the place of animal waste and firewood.
In addition, 100 million yuan (US$16.1 million) is given out each year to encourage environmental protection,.
鈥淲e are taking environmental protection seriously,鈥 said Jiang Bai, of Tibet鈥檚 environmental protection department, 鈥渁nd will continue to do so by severely punishing anyone violating environmental laws and regulations.鈥
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