(Yicai Global) June 28 -- Haiyan county, located in China’s northwestern Qinghai province, covers 4,443 square kilometers and has a population of just 36,000. It is also where China’s first atomic bomb was successfully developed.

After 40 years of desertification control, a ‘green barrier’ has been established in the county, and changes in the ecological environment have brought hope to villages.

Since the 1950s and 1960s, the lakeshore deserts in Haiyan have invaded northeastward at a speed of more than 10 meters a year, leaving large degraded grasslands and deserts. The water level of Qinghai Lake has also dropped sharply.

Explaining how deserts are formed, Ma Wenhu, a forestry engineer in Haiyan, cited drought, strong winds, sparse vegetation and large-scale evaporation, which lead to grassland degradation and desertification. Then there is the impact of human activities, such as overgrazing and blindly reclaiming wasteland, Ma told Yicai Global.

The expanding area of desertification severely threatened the ecological security around Qinghai Lake, so Haiyan began systematic management of the work in the early 1980s.

The county has curbed the expansion and spread of the desert effectively through 40 years of hard work, maintained the ecological safety of the core area of Qinghai Lake, and ensured the smooth operation of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Huanhu East Road.

The change in the ecological environment has also benefited Wongya Ranch, which focuses on Tibetan cultural tourism. Wongya means ‘watcher’ in Tibetan.

All the buildings in the hotel at Wongya Ranch are ‘suspended’ above the ground to protect grass and leave passages for small animals. Last year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Wongya Ranch welcomed 150,000 visitors and had revenue of CNY26.8 million (USD4.1 million).

“Were it not for the improvement in the ecological environment, Wongya Ranch would have been hit by wind and sand,” Li Hao, a partner at Wongya Ranch, told Yicai Global.

In addition, Wongya Ranch attaches great importance to the ecological protection of pasture lands, according to local manager Tian Xinyu. In winter it allows herders to graze their cattle for free, while in summer it plants forage grass to protect the pastures. Wongya Ranch ‘watches’ local farmers and herders in its own way, leading them to rural renewal.

Editor: Peter Thomas