China's experience in desertification control attracted attention at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention

Recently, the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification concluded in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. During the conference, the "China Corner", which showcases China's achievements in desertification prevention and control, has always been one of the most watched exhibition areas at the venue. From agricultural officials in the Sahel region of Africa to environmental scholars from Central Asian countries, they came with questions to explore the practical logic of China's transformation from "sands advancing and people retreating" to "greens advancing and sand retreating". Yasmin Fouad, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, commented that China’s persistent governance practices have set a model for global desertification prevention and control.

Desertification is a global ecological challenge faced by mankind. United Nations data shows that about 40% of the world's land is degraded to varying degrees, affecting nearly half of the population. Global economic losses due to land degradation, desertification and drought exceed US$870 billion every year. This cross-regional and cross-generational global problem tests the governance wisdom and capabilities of all countries. China's governance achievements are particularly profound: it is the first in the world to achieve land degradation neutrality, desertification land and sandy land have continued to shrink, and forest coverage and forest volume have maintained double growth for 40 consecutive years, making key contributions to the realization of the United Nations' 2030 land degradation neutrality goal.

For more than half a century, from the continuous advancement of the construction of the "Three Norths" protective forest system spanning the east and west, to the successive implementation of key ecological projects such as returning farmland to forest and grassland, and the closure and protection and restoration of desertified land, to the implementation of the national desertification prevention and control plan, China has always integrated ecological protection and restoration into the overall development of the country, insisted on drawing a blueprint to the end, and successive generations of sand control people continued to work hard, and finally achieved a fundamental reversal of the trend of land desertification. China’s governance patience that “success does not depend on me” is the most scarce quality in global desertification governance.

Scientific and technological innovation has injected lasting impetus into the practice of desertification control. In the "China Corner" exhibition area of ​​COP17, the water-retaining agent developed by Chinese companies attracted representatives from many countries. This product can absorb more than a thousand times its own weight in water, store irrigation water, rainwater and fertilizer and slowly release it. It can not only effectively reduce management and maintenance costs, but also significantly increase plant survival rates. Experts from the International Forestry Research Center are optimistic about the application prospects of this product in arid and semi-arid areas. The small water-retaining agent is the epitome of China's scientific and technological desertification control. In recent years, from drone seeding and satellite remote sensing monitoring to improve the efficiency of desert area control, to continuous breakthroughs in drought-tolerant species selection and ecological restoration technology, scientific and technological innovation has been deeply integrated into the entire desert control chain, effectively solving the common dilemma of "high cost and difficult to consolidate results in desert area control", and contributing replicable technical paths to global desertification control.

How to balance ecological protection and economic development is a dilemma faced by all countries in desertification control. China has always regarded desertification prevention and control as a development undertaking that benefits people's livelihood, and has promoted the transformation of people in sandy areas from bystanders of governance to participants and beneficiaries. The Kubuqi Desert's three-dimensional desert control model of "power generation on boards, planting under boards, and breeding between boards" has given the formerly barren land both ecological and economic benefits; specialty industries such as forest fruits and Chinese medicinal materials in the Mu Us Desert have flourished, allowing farmers and herdsmen to secure a sustainable "ecological rice bowl." China's desertification control practice breaks the stereotype that "controlling desertification requires sacrificing development" and proves that ecological protection and improvement of people's livelihood can completely coexist and win-win.

Today, China’s desert control experience is accelerating towards the global stage. From assisting Mauritania in promoting the construction of the "Great Green Wall of Africa", to co-building a desertification prevention and control cooperation center with Central Asian countries and conducting technical training, to exploring new models of photovoltaic facility agriculture in the desert areas of the Middle East, China has always adhered to the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, shared experience and provided support to countries in need, and injected impetus into the green development of developing countries.

Controlling desertification is not a day's work; controlling desertification is a long-distance race that takes a long time to achieve success. As long as we adhere to a long-term vision, adhere to the drive for innovation, and adhere to the foundation of people's livelihood, vigorous green hope can grow on the vast yellow sand.

Author: Zhang Penghui

Source: People's Daily