STORY: Chinese county fights against desertification with multiple measures
SHOOTING DATE: recent footage
DATELINE: Oct. 25, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:24
LOCATION: LANZHOU, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Maqu County
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MA JIANYUN, Forestry technical service expert in Maqu County
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MA JIANYUN, Forestry technical service expert in Maqu County
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): GEREJABU, Herder from Maqu County
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): NIU ZHIHONG, Official with Awancang Yellow River Wetland Park in Maqu County

STORYLINE:

Maqu County in northwest China's Gansu Province is located at an average altitude of over 3,300 meters on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, featuring vast pastoral areas.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MA JIANYUN, Forestry technical service expert in Maqu County
"Grasslands are the most valuable natural resource of Maqu County. However, human activities and natural factors have led to the degradation of the natural grasslands. Desertification is among the most pressing challenges."

In 2012, the size of the sandy desertified area in Maqu reached about 53,333 hectares -- about 5.2 percent of the county's total.

To tackle desertification, locals first set up straw grids, but soon found that such grids were not robust enough to prevent desertification in Maqu.

After multiple trials, they found an effective tool in the form of red willow grids.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MA JIANYUN, Forestry technical service expert in Maqu County
"We've developed a desertification control model tailored for Maqu's high-altitude grasslands. The primary approach involves cutting slopes on sand dunes and planting climate-adapted shrubs like mountain willow and alpine willow."

Grids made of red willows, which offer more durable features, are able to adapt to high-altitude environments characterized by cold weather, scorching sun, and frequent wind and rain.

Currently, Maqu has managed to restore over 24,793 hectares of previously sandy desertified land. 

As of the end of 2023, comprehensive vegetation coverage of Maqu's grasslands had reached 98.4 percent.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): GEREJABU, Herder from Maqu County
"My grandparents have told us that we shouldn't pull out the grass nor throw anything into the river. When I was young, my family raised more than 300 yaks. To protect the precious grasslands, we gradually reduced the number of yaks. Now we have over 70 yaks."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): NIU ZHIHONG, Official with Awancang Yellow River Wetland Park in Maqu County
"With the improvement of the environment, we've witnessed a growing number of tourists and an expanding tourism industry."

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