In the vast Mu Us Sandy Land, a green relay race that has been ongoing for over 70 years is still in full swing. The leader of this relay race is the Uxin Banner Greening Committee, which has been awarded the title of "National Model Collective for Ethnic Unity and Progress". They unite and lead people, using their wisdom and sweat to create a massive "green storm" in the sandy sea where wind and sand rage.
In early winter, the project site of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program in Chahanmiao village, Uxin Banner, remains bustling with activity. Over 220 sandstorm fighters and more than 20 machines are working side by side, with tasks such as cutting salix cheilophila, planting Salix matsudana, and laying sand barriers progressing in an orderly manner.
He Ruidong, project manager of Inner Mongolia Urban Construction Engineering Co, stated, "We have adopted a mixed planting model of sand barriers, Salix matsudana, and Hedysarum mongolicum, scientifically planting according to the terrain to maximize the ecological benefits of each plant. Salix matsudana and sand barries are planted at the bottom of the sand slope to protect wetlands, while sand barries and Hedysarum mongolicum at the top of the slope to prevent wind and stabilize the sand, thus, forming an indestructible green barrier."
Looking back, the Mu Us Sandy Land was once a place ravaged by wind and sand, with a fragile ecosystem. Uxin Banner, located in the southernmost part of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is deeply embedded in the heart of the Mu Us Sandy Land, where the natural environment was once in an very bad state. When the People's Republic of China was founded, the area of desertified and sandy land in Uxin Banner exceeded 90 percent, with sand encroaching on human habitation, constituting a severe ecological crisis.
However, in the face of sandstorms, the people of Uxin Banner have never backed down. For over 70 years, from sand prevention and control to sand management and utilization, and then to flourishing green, Uxin Banner has undergone three stages of arduous exploration and practice. Today, the forest coverage rate and vegetation coverage rate in the region have increased to 32.92 percent and 80 percent, respectively, with an annual excellent rate of air quality exceeding 90 percent – the best ecological status in nearly a century.
Visiting the home of a local herdsman named Diwang Gaerdi, staff from the forestry and grassland bureau are conducting on-site inspections of the effectiveness of the key project for comprehensive prevention and control of desertification in the Kubuqi Desert-Mu Us Sandy Land implemented in 2023. Through field visits and on-site verification, they are calculating data such as seedling survival rates and planting distances.
The herdsman said, "The Hedysarum mongolicum seedlings we planted last year have grown very well after more than a year. The mature seeds and the seeds of the caragana can be used to cultivate new seedlings. Some of the seedlings will be used to plant sand barriers, and some will be sold to the banner for other sand control projects."
He has over 5,000 mu (333.33 hectares) of grassland, and after years of management, there are now more than 1,100 mu of remaining sandy land. The continuous improvement of the natural environment has provided more living and development space for traditional agriculture and animal husbandry, while also giving rise to a new industry of seedling cultivation among farmers and herdsmen. Rows of newly cultivated Hedysarum mongolicum and caragana have sprouted new greenery, which is expected to bring him nearly 200,000 yuan ($27,400) in additional income.
In this sand control relay race, Uxin Banner has explored seven unique desertification control models, including "sealing sand, afforestation, and banning and delaying grazing", "creating afforestation pioneers", "ecological migration", and "industrialization-driven" models. These models not only provide valuable experiences for Uxin Banner's desertification control work, but also serve as a useful reference for desertification control in other areas of China. At the same time, a number of desertification-control heroes have emerged, contributing to the green transformation of the Mu Us Sandy Land with their wisdom and sweat.
In addition, Uxin Banner's desertification control work has made remarkable achievements that have drawn global attention, and it has created the "three-element embedding" desertification control model and five million-mu ecological construction bases. It has launched a full-scale offensive against the Mu Us Sandy Land.
Today, green has become the most distinctive color of Uxin Banner's development.
