A once-dying forest of populus trees in Aral City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is showing signs of life again after remarkable ecological conservation and restoration efforts by a team from Tarim University.
Located in the Jinyang Town, the forest of Populus Euphratica, or Huyang in Chinese, which spans more than 2,666 hectares, was discovered in a state of seemingly irreversible death in 2014 by Professor Li Zhijun and her research team from Tarim University.
Despite its vast size and the appearance of barren and skeletal trees, the team made an extraordinary discovery that changed the course of the forest's fate.
"The lower part of the roots [of some of the populus trees] is still alive, definitely alive. It's just that there is insufficient water, and without enough moisture for growth, the tree enters a dormant state, similar to how some animals hibernate in winter," said Li.
After conducting sampling of the trees, the team discovered that there were hundreds of trees in such a dormant state.
Despite no supply of water for decades, they have entered a dormant state by shedding their leaves and allowing their branches to dry out, waiting for water replenishment.
In 2014, Xinjiang implemented a special ecological conservation project aimed at restoring the Huyang forest in the Tarim River basin.
In 2016, thanks to Li's advocacy, the local government began using treated agricultural wastewater, previously deemed unsuitable for irrigation or human use, to irrigate the forest.
By 2018, the project had shown promising results, with the barren landscape slowly starting to show signs of recovery.
The survey of Li and her team on Nov. 5 this year revealed an exciting update: more than 300 trees have grown new branches.
Li said she is glad with the achievement as these trees play a crucial role in local development and people's wellbeing.
"Ninety one percent of China's Huyang trees are scattered in Xinjiang and 89 percent of them are located in the Tarim Basin, forming an oasis on the edge of the desert. The distribution of these Huyang forests almost forms a ring around the Tarim Basin, and this ring plays a vital role in the economic development and people's safety in southern Xinjiang," she said.
Looking ahead, Li and his team wish to expand this water-saving model across the region and collaborate with other cities and counties in the desert to bring life back to more drought-stricken forests, using treated agricultural wastewater as a sustainable solution.
Dying desert populus forest in China's Xinjiang brought back to life with ecological restoration efforts
Dying desert populus forest in China's Xinjiang brought back to life with ecological restoration efforts
A road which is being constructed by a Chinese contractor in the mountains of Peru is expected to promote economic development in Huanuco province, which is located about 350 kilometers away from the Peruvian capital Lima.
Huanuco is surrounded by the towering Andes mountain range, with altitudes averaging over 4,000 meters, and its poor road infrastructure has posed significant challenges to travelers and to farmers when they want to ship their potatoes, corn and other produce to customers in other locations.
To mitigate these challenges, construction work began in 2019 on the Andes National Road project, also known as the Carretera Huanuco-La Union-Huallanca road project.
Located in the central and western regions of Peru, the 236.63-kilometer road is the country's largest infrastructure project under construction, and is expected to take 11-12 years to complete.
It is estimated to halve travel time for about 270,000 people in 243 towns along the road.
"I am a farmer. I have grown potatoes all my life. We tried to sell Huanuco products to Lima. Because there were only paths, it was difficult to get there. People had to travel for hours. But now, it has shortened the time," said Adalberto Vela, a potato farmer in Huanuco.
"In fact, it will lower the cost of products and it will be easier to transport the products to the capital," said Gonzalo Prado, a truck driver.
"From the point of view of transport in Peru, it was necessary, because it is part of the national highway system. This makes it easier and better for producers in the mountainous areas to profit more from their products," said Luis Cordoba, the director of the engineering department at the national highways bureau under the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
While trying to maximize the economic advantages of the new road, China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation Limited (CR20G), which is responsible for building the Andes National Road project, also works hard to protect the local environment.
This part of the Andes features a complex and diverse climate and a fragile ecological environment characterized by native forests along the route of the road.
To balance the requirements of heavy infrastructure work and a delicate environment, CR20G workers plant trees while building the road. The work team also includes experts specializing in environment, forest, safety, and community development. Nurseries have been established at different altitudes for different plants, and specialists teach forest protection knowledge to tens of thousands of residents along the road, and train forestry technicians.
"We are about to plant 40,000 trees. They are purely native species," said Luis Avila, a forest engineer.
"I look forward to the completion of the Andes national highway. Our construction team will deliver to the Peruvian people not only a high-quality expressway, but also a road surrounded by lush landscape, which is the best proof of Chinese companies' practice of biodiversity conservation. In my opinion, this road will be a road to poverty alleviation, a road that combines development and ecology, and a road of friendship between China and Peru," said Chen Jingfang, the executive manager of CR20G's Peru Branch.
Chinese-built road to promote economic, environmental development in Peru
