Conservation

New Scientist has an article (subscription required) about the largest ecological restoration/management project ever. Dust storms from Inner Mongolia and Northwestern China have always swept across northern China, but centuries of deforestation and overgrazing have made matters much worse. Chinese families are forced to stay indoors during the spring wind storms, and the dust destroys machinery and crops. The problem is worldwide: dust from China causes problems, including airport closures, in Korea and Japan. The dust darkens the sky as far away as Colorado.

The Chinese government initially tried building a wall of trees to block the dust. Now, China, along with Korea, Japan and Mongolia, are implementing the largest ecological management project to try multiple approaches to reducing the dust problem. Plans include grasslands restoration in dry areas, reforestation of uplands and a switch from wood as an energy source to wind and solar. There is no shortage of either of these energy sources in the region. One part of the forest restoration scheme involves the use of waste water to irrigate young pine plantations.

Although the project is huge, multinational and well funded, it may not work. Centuries of neglect of western China have made a natural phenomenon into a serious problem, and centuries of effort may be required to resolve it.

Thanks to Dave Roberts at Gristmill. He has a good account of the article here.