STORY: China's Gansu stops Mu Us Desert from expanding with effective measures
DATELINE: June 9, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:38
LOCATION: LANZHOU, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): SONG JIA, Xinhua correspondent
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YAO ZHIYONG, Senior Engineer of Huanxian Natural Resources Bureau
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YANG ZONGXIN, Head of Huanxian Fangouquan Forest Farm
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG HONGBIN, Leader of tree-planting team at Zhangtang Village, Huanxian

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): SONG JIA, Xinhua correspondent
"I'm now at Huanxian in Qingyang City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Here is also on the edge of Mu Us Desert. It was once an area of dust and sand, frequently plagued by severe sandstorms. Thanks to the afforestation efforts these years, the spreading desert is effectively pushed back."

Mu Us Desert is one of China's four major sandy lands.

At the end of the last century, some locals were forced to relocate due to intense and frequent sandstorms.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YAO ZHIYONG, Senior Engineer of Huanxian Natural Resources Bureau
"In the 1980s and 1990s, due to unreasonable human activities, the place was ravaged by sandstorms with vegetation degradation. Local residents were forced to move away."

In recent years, Huanxian has taken comprehensive measures to tame the sand dunes.
A shelter forest program was launched, and straw checkerboard sand barriers were placed to fix the moving sand dunes.
The county has built a 150-km ecological barrier along the southern edge of the desert.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YANG ZONGXIN, Head of Huanxian Fangouquan Forest Farm
"Fangouquan Forest Farm in Huanxian is located on the south border of the Mu Us Desert. With persistent efforts made by generations of people, 53,845 mu (about 3,590 hectares) of the sandy land has been turned into forests, effectively preventing desert erosion and stopping the desert from moving to the south."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG HONGBIN, Leader of tree-planting team at Zhangtang Village, Huanxian
"Before 2014, the mountains had been mostly barren, with frequent sandstorms and severe soil erosion. The environment has improved significantly after 2014, with barely any soil erosion and fewer sandstorms. This has brought great benefits to the local people."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lanzhou, China.
(XHTV)