China's environmental watchdog has called for the establishment
of a national ecological reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, to prevent further
environmental deterioration there.
An official with the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA) made the appeal after news reports uncovered
that the ecological environment in Dunhuang continuously
deteriorated.
Dunhuang was once an important site on the ancient Silk Road, a
2,000-year-old trade route that linked Asia and Europe, starting in
Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and ending in
Europe after passing through southern and central Asian
countries.
In 1987, the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Caves of
1,000 Buddhas, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage
List.
Surrounded by a desert, Dunhuang has an extremely arid climate
and a very fragile ecosystem. Global climate change and human
activities have made vegetation decrease there.
The official admitted that major rivers in Dunhuang have run dry
and lakes are disappearing. Underground water level has dropped
sharply and natural disasters such as sandstorm frequently
occurred.
The deteriorated ecosystem in Dunhuang has threatened the local
cultural relics and natural scenery, the official said.
Besides the natural factors, defects in the administration of
Dunhuang also add difficulties to the protection of the ecosystem
there, according to the official.
He said that the current administrative system fails to have
overall planning for balance among economic development, social
development and environmental protection.
The SEPA called for local departments of environmental
protection to improve environment impact assessment and take
measures to restrict consumption of natural resources.
A national ecological reserve is urgently needed in Dunhuang to
protect its civilization and heritage that has a history of more
than one thousand years, the official said.
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(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2007)