Alxa League, Inner Mongolia —— Ecological management drives the development of sand industry
For decades, the wind in the town of Bieli, Alashan Zuoqi, Alashan League, Inner Mongolia has been as wild as ever, but under the protection of Haloxylon ammodendron ecological forests, it is hard to cause disasters in the past. The locals recalled that in the past, there were few trees and grass here, and all they could see was yellow sand all over the ground, and the wind was blowing and it was dark.
Alashan League is an alliance city located in the westernmost part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with a land area of 270,000 square kilometers. Three of the eight deserts in China are distributed, namely Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert and Wulanbuhe Desert. The area of desertified land is 196,900 square kilometers, accounting for 49.46% of the total area of desertified land in Inner Mongolia. It is one of the areas with the most fragile ecological environment, the most serious desertification, the worst natural conditions and the most difficult control.
The desert is green.
The change began in 2012. Liu Hongyi, the stationmaster of Alashan Zuoqi Forestry Workstation, said that the demonstration area of Zongbieli Town (Manglai) project, a million mu Haloxylon ammodendron ecological forest base in Alashan League, is located at the eastern foot of Helan Mountain and the southwest edge of Wulanbuhe Desert. It was built in 2012 and is one of the construction projects of the million mu Haloxylon ammodendron ecological forest base in the League. At present, 430,000 mu of Haloxylon ammodendron forest has been planted, forming a forest belt with a length of 37 kilometers from east to west and a width of 23 kilometers from north to south.
"Not far ahead is Ulan Buh and the desert, ‘ Wulanbuhe ’ It’s Mongolian, meaning ‘ Red Bull ’ . Before planting Haloxylon ammodendron, it was like a fiery bull, arched on the west bank of the Yellow River, rolled over and went to Helan Mountain. After planting Haloxylon ammodendron for ten years, it was bound here, and there was no arrogance and arrogance in the past. " Standing at the height of the project demonstration area, Liu Hongyi said.
In this regard, Wang Gang, a herder who came to Gacha, was deeply touched. "I have lived in Manglai Gacha since I was a child. It used to be full of mobile sand dunes, and the wind and sand continued all year round. Because of the harsh living environment, at that time, 26 herdsmen moved away one after another in Gacha, and at least there were only 5 families left. Since 2012, Haloxylon ammodendron has been planted in a large area on this grassland. Through years of unremitting efforts, Haloxylon ammodendron has become a forest, sandstorms are obviously less, and the environment in my hometown has gradually improved. Now the number of farmers and herdsmen in Gacha has recovered to about 20. " Wang Gang said.
It is understood that since the construction project of Haloxylon ammodendron ecological forest base in Alashan League was started in 2000, the total afforestation area has reached 8.14 million mu, and 1.467 million mu of cistanche deserticola has been artificially inoculated.
The construction of a million mu Haloxylon ammodendron ecological forest base is only a microcosm of the work of preventing and controlling desertification in Alashan League for many years. Hailian, head of the Sand Control and Afforestation Section of the Forestry and Grass Bureau of Alashan League, said that in recent years, Alashan League has relied on the national key forest and grass ecological control project, supplemented by social public welfare afforestation, and focused on the three major desert frontier control areas, the Ejina River basin and the comprehensive control area on the west bank of the Yellow River, and the key control areas such as Laishan and Helan Mountain ecological corridors in Ya Bu, and adopted "the combination of irrigation, arbor and grass, mainly irrigation; Feng Fei’s comprehensive forest and grass sand control technical measures "combining farming with enclosure", vigorously promote the comprehensive management of desertified land, and gradually form a technical path of ecological barrier construction of sand control and sand control "trinity" of aerial seeding afforestation and grass planting, enclosure and artificial afforestation and grass planting. At the same time, we will actively explore and implement new mechanisms and models such as "first build and then make up, contract afforestation, cooperative afforestation and professional team afforestation", comprehensively promote the application of practical drought-resistant afforestation technologies such as mechanical digging, and actively guide social capital to participate in land greening.
"After so many years of ecological protection and governance practice, Alashan League has explored and formed ‘ People retreat from green to nurture, combine scientific innovation, make policies according to the disease, use treatment as a tool, promote treatment with use, lead by the government, participate in society, persevere and be determined ’ Desertification control based on ‘ Alashan model ’ 。” Hailian said.
According to statistics, over the past 40 years, Alashan League has completed more than 91 million mu of desertification control tasks, and the total area of grassland and forest resources in the League has reached 135,520,500 mu and 30,120,500 mu respectively. The forest coverage rate has increased from 2.96% at the beginning of the League to 8.37%, and the grassland vegetation coverage rate has increased from less than 15% to 23.18%. The deterioration trend of ecological environment has been curbed as a whole, and regional ecology has been mainly controlled.
The purse is bulging.
Walking into Haloxylon ammodendron forest base in full of green, Inner Mongolia Hongkui Cistanche Group, Cistanche deserticola inoculated next to Haloxylon ammodendron, which is more than 2 meters high, grows gratifying. "These cistanches are expected to be harvested next year." Ren Cunfu, deputy secretary of the party Committee of the group, said.
The group is an enterprise that developed sand industry earlier in Alxa League. At present, it has developed into a leading enterprise in sand industry integrating Haloxylon ammodendron planting, Cistanche deserticola inoculation and research, development, production and sales of related products, with an annual output value of about 60 million yuan. Ren Cunfu introduced that in order to speed up the cultivation of sand industry and let more farmers and herdsmen join the chain of industrial development, the group established cistanche deserticola — In Haloxylon ammodendron base, Hongkuisha Industrial Cooperative was established. The technology, equipment, seeds and seedlings were provided to farmers and herdsmen of the cooperative free of charge, and Haloxylon ammodendron grafted with Cynomorium songaricum was standardized. After the farmers and herdsmen harvested, the enterprises purchased them at the market price for deep processing. "With the strong support of the local government, the number of farmers and herdsmen in our sand industry cooperative has increased from more than 30 in the past to more than 110 today, and the number of farmers and herdsmen driven by radiation is also increasing." Ren Cunfu said.
Wang Gang is one of the beneficiaries of the local development of sand industry. Wang Gang said that under the guidance of the government, farmers and herdsmen in Manglai Gacha took the initiative to ask the desert for benefits, improved the grafting technology of Cistanche deserticola and promoted the industrial transformation. Every year, the industrial income of Cistanche deserticola was 80,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan. In addition, engaging in projects such as pastoral tours and farmhouse music also has extra income. "Planting Haloxylon ammodendron not only green the desert, but also drum up our ‘ Money bag ’ 。” Wang Gang said.
We should not only go green, but also be green and rich. In recent years, Alashan League insists on preventing and controlling desertification and increasing income to get rich in parallel, gives full play to the promotion role of reverse pull, vigorously promotes ecological industrialization and industrial ecologicalization, improves and perfects the linkage mechanism of "government guidance, enterprise drive, base radiation and participation of farmers and herdsmen", cultivates and forms green ecological industries such as sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry, desert tourism and clean energy, and explores ways to benefit from "sand control", "sand utilization" and "getting rich by sand".
Wu Zhibo, director of the Ecological Industry Development Planning Center of the Forestry and Grass Bureau of Alashan League, said that in recent years, Alashan League has insisted on promoting the development of sand industry with ecological governance, promoting the construction of ecological protection with industrial development, and actively cultivating and developing industries such as characteristic sand industry, characteristic product breeding and desert tourism relying on the vivid plant resources of superior sand. Up to now, Haloxylon ammodendron has been built — Cistanche deserticola and Nitraria tangutorum — There are 3 million mu industrial bases for seed collection in Cynomorium songaricum and Cynomorium songaricum, and 44 sand industry-scale enterprises, 13 trial-production enterprises for edible and medicinal substances and 879 professional cooperatives for planting and breeding have been cultivated, with the mode of "enterprise+base+cooperative+farmers and herdsmen" driving more than 30,000 farmers and herdsmen to participate.
“‘ Thirteenth Five-Year Plan ’ During the period, the total output value of the forestry and grass industry in the League reached 19.95 billion yuan, with more than 30,000 farmers and herdsmen engaged in the forestry and grass industry, with an average annual income of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, and some farmers and herdsmen reached 100,000 to 300,000 yuan. " Wu Zhibo said.
The environment is beautiful
On July 27th, the on-site meeting of major national ecological system protection and restoration projects and comprehensive desertification control was held in Alxa League. Alashan League takes this as a window to show the local achievements in desertification control in an all-round way and share experiences in desertification control.
Ding Guodong, a professor at the School of Soil and Water Conservation of Beijing Forestry University and the head of the subject of soil and water conservation and desertification control, said at the on-site meeting that the construction of the one million mu Haloxylon ammodendron ecological forest base was spectacular and the effect of sand control was also very good. Especially, the sand industry, including Cistanche deserticola industry, has a bright future, and Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’s ideas are fully reflected here. Talking about the future road of preventing and controlling desertification in Alxa League, Guodong Ding suggested, "The ecosystem of Alxa League is still very fragile. We should take science and technology as the support, and scientifically and reasonably promote ecological protection and governance. If this protection means protection, then this governance means governance. At the same time, we should work together to guide the whole people to carry out ecological protection and governance through industrial intervention and other modes. In addition, as an area with extreme water shortage, it is necessary to increase the monitoring of ecological environment, save water, and set green with water. "
Regarding the booming local sand industry, Guodong Ding said that the development of sand industry is based on having good products, insisting on improving the quality of products and playing out the brand effect, and relevant departments can provide some help in these aspects. "However, the most important thing is to give priority to protection. On the basis of good protection, we should develop related industries according to local conditions and not break through the rigid constraints of local resources, especially water resources." Guodong Ding said.
What should we do next? Tu Buxin, Party Secretary and Director of Forestry and Grass Bureau of Alashan League, introduced that next, Alashan League will step up planning and implementing a number of landmark and leading major projects in advantageous industries, seize the commanding heights, plan winning methods, focus on sand prevention and control, comprehensive management of Helan Mountain, popularization and application of scientific research achievements, carbon sink index trading and other fields, carry forward the "Three North Spirit" of hard work, selfless dedication, perseverance and long-term success, and do a good job in all work.
"Alashan League is located in the hinterland of the Three-North Shelterbelt and is a country ‘ Three districts and four belts ’ The strategic pattern of ecological security The key control areas of the northern sand control belt and the special natural geographical environment determine the extreme fragility of the ecological environment in Alashan League and the persistence and arduousness of sand control. " Tu Buxin said that in the practice of desertification control, Alashan League adheres to the development path of ecological and economic coordination, organically combines ecological protection construction, sand prevention and control with the development of characteristic ecological industries, and farmers and herdsmen get rich and increase their income, and has embarked on a sand control path that combines government, enterprises and people and social forces participate in multiple aspects.
Tu Buxin said that facing the future, Alashan League will conscientiously sum up experience, further improve the "Alashan Model" such as economic centralization, intensification to promote the globalization of ecological governance, desertification control in a near-natural way, and creating a pattern in which the whole society participates in desertification control, and continue to take a good and steady road from "sand enters and retreats" to "green enters and retreats", which conforms to the laws of nature and conforms to the local conditions of Alashan League, and makes new progress in building an important ecological security barrier in northern China. (Economic Daily reporter Yu Jian)