Research shows that the speed of desertification in Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region in the past 10 years has decreased by 50 percent,
with the downward trend likely to continue.
The conclusion was made by Xinjiang Ecology and Geography Research
Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, after analyzing
Xinjiang's environment from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.
The research shows an increase in grassland, especially with high
coverage, that contributes to the control of desertification. From
mid-1990s, China started up the Natural Forest Protection project,
Land for Forestry project, Water and Soil Conservation project and
Comprehensive Environment Protection projects. Through joint
efforts, the forest coverage in Xinjiang has risen from 1.03 to
1.92 percent, with 14,000 more hectares of grassland.
The climate of Xinjiang in recent years has tended to be warmer and
more humid. The rainfall in spring of 2003 was nearly double that
of 10 years ago. Following the growing rainfall, the water volume
of Tarim River has consistently increased. Statistics from the
institute show that until 12 am of May 19, the water area at the
mouth of the Cherchen River, one branch of the Tarim River, reached
174.59 square kilometers, and water area of the Tatma Lake expanded
to 32.57 square kilometers.
With the growing rainfall and improvement in the environment,
Taklamakan Desert, the so-called Forbidden Area, is once again
fecund. In the hinterland of the desert, people can now see
swallows in the sky and hares jumping across the brushwood.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting June 1, 2003)