干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Xinjiang is the important border area and ethnic minority region in China. Desertification has become significant restraint during the development of western regions and the socioeconomic construction. Applying the geographical structural analysis method, the evolution of the geographical systems in Xinjiang since 1949 is described as below: expansion of arable land, decrease of productivity and quantity of grassland, decrease of the natural forests with the increase of planted forests followed by water competition with farmland and grassland, wetland, glacier shrink and groundwater level descent, sandlot expansion, threatening oasis, population explosion and the tension of resources in community. The general trend could be called "three increases and three decreases", that is the expansion of arable land, community, sandlot and the shrink and degradation of lawn, woodland, wetland. The analysis shows that human behavior is the dominant factor leading to the deterioration of desertification. According with the above problems, six suggestions are presented: 1) Recognizing the significance of anti-desertification from a strategic angle, 2) Based on the features of the northern, southern and eastern parts of Xinjiang, implementing prevention and treatment cooperatively, 3) Guiding the work with anti-desertification engineering methodology, 4) Advancing the cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organization, 5) Pay attention to the public’s interest and need, harmonizing the relations among the public, enterprises and state, 6) Relying deeply on science and technology.