greening the mongolian desert
friends of the earth japan, china
The people of Horqin Sandy Land in Inner
Mongolia , China have traditionally lived
from the land, grazing their goats, sheep
and cattle in the grasslands. However,
overgrazing, increased agriculture and
deforestation over the past decades due to
the population boom in China has put great
pressure on grasslands, with an estimated
2500 square kilometers of land turning into
desert each year. Green areas are replaced
with dry, infertile sand, and local people
are unable to support themselves.
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Desertification, which destroys the
ecological basis of people's
livelihoods, is a major cause of
poverty and hunger around the world.
One quarter of the planet's land area
is desertified today, and one sixth of
the world's population is affected.
Many people are forced to abandon their
lands, becoming ecological refugees.
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In reaction to this situation, Friends
of the Earth Japan began working with a
village in the Horquin Sandy Land area in
2001 in a project called ‘Greening the
Desert'. By 2005, their collaboration had
expanded to three villages and one junior
high school in the area. Joint activities
include planting trees and protecting
grasses to allow them to recover.
Ultimately, green lands will be transformed
into farmlands and grassy fields so that
people can once again graze their cattle.
They will also be able to sell cut grass in
order to earn money. In 20 years, it is
predicted that they will be able to
supplement their incomes by selling trees
as logs, while avoiding excess
deforestation.
