How China is pushing back the invading sand dunes and winning in arid Ningxia
The Baijitan nature reserve’s success has won international acclaim and is underpinned by a simple chequerboard technique
Over the past 40 years, the Baijitan National Nature Reserve has served as a frontline fortification against the Mu Us Desert for Ningxia’s capital Yinchuan and its nearly 3 million people.
By the 1950s, the desert had advanced to within 5km (3 miles) of the Yellow River, severely threatening agriculture and livelihoods as its sands, carried by wind and water, raised the riverbed.
Since then, the nature reserve has achieved sand control and afforestation across 45,860 hectares (113,333 acres), effectively stabilising drifting sands across nearly 66,770 hectares (165,000 acres).
Baijitan has not only effectively prevented the southward and westward expansion of the Mu Us Desert, it has also pushed it back by more than 20km (12 miles).
The total size of the desert in Baijitan at the start of the project was 107,900 hectares (266,667 acres) – about the total land area of Hong Kong. This year, about 1,335 hectares (3,300 acres) of dunes remain, preserved for research and demonstration purposes.