Tie a "green ribbon" to the "Sea of ​​Death"

In the heart of the Taklimakan Desert, known as the "Sea of ​​Death", a black asphalt road winds through the vast sea of ​​sand. In spring and summer, the lush green on both sides of the road is very pleasing to the eye.

The desert highway that runs through the Taklimakan Desert. Photo courtesy of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences

This asphalt road is the first desert highway in my country. It is about 562 kilometers long, running through the Taklimakan Desert and connecting the oases on the north and south sides of the Tarim Basin. It is vividly called the "Green Ribbon".

Xu Xinwen, a researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the designer of this "green ribbon".

Back in the early 1990s, rich oil and gas resources were discovered in the Taklimakan Desert, but material transportation became the primary problem in oil and gas development. Therefore, the country decided to build a desert highway.

"The Taklimakan Desert is a mobile desert. If we only build roads without controlling sand, the highway will soon be swallowed by wind and sand," said Xu Xinwen. In 1992, at the age of 29, he became a member of the desert highway construction team, mainly responsible for the route selection and sand prevention and control work of the desert highway.

Xu Xinwen was very excited when he first came to the Taklimakan Desert, but the reality was cruel.

"In the desert, we often encounter overwhelming sand and dust sweeping over us. At that moment, we feel so small and helpless." Xu Xinwen said that this also strengthened his determination to prevent and control sand.

The construction of the desert highway is in full swing, and Xu Xinwen and his team are also trying various methods to prevent and control sand. At first, the team mainly used a mechanical sand control system, using reeds to make grass grids on the surface of the sand dunes to reduce the surface wind speed and slow down the movement of quicksand.

Xu Xinwen is conducting survey work in the heart of the Taklimakan Desert. Photo courtesy of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences

"The disadvantage of mechanical sand control is that after the grass grids are covered with sand, the sand will still be blown onto the road." Xu Xinwen said that it is urgent to study a more sustainable and efficient sand control model.

Therefore, while carrying out mechanical sand control, Xu Xinwen and his team began to explore biological sand control models. They established a test base in the heart of the Taklimakan Desert and introduced more than 400 salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant plants.

"It is not easy to select plants suitable for growing in the Taklimakan Desert," said Xu Xinwen. From seed selection, seedling cultivation to irrigation, Xu Xinwen and his team have conducted repeated experiments and explorations for more than 10 years.

In 2003, the Desert Highway Shelterbelt Ecological Engineering Project was officially approved by the state. Subsequently, 20 million desert plants such as Tamarix, Haloxylon ammodendron, and Calligonum mongolicum stood on both sides of the Taklimakan Desert Highway, guarding the highway like "armored guards".

After the completion of the Desert Highway Shelterbelt Ecological Project, it attracted international attention. In 2013, after my country proposed the "Belt and Road" initiative, Xu Xinwen became busy. In Kazakhstan, he led a research team to build an introduction and screening base in the capital after nearly two years of exploration, successfully introduced more than 40 kinds of plant seedlings and cuttings, and established a 20-hectare demonstration base. In Mauritania, he and his team assisted the local government in optimizing the desertification prevention and control plan in the capital area...

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has signed cooperation agreements with research institutes and universities in 28 participating countries. Xinjiang's desertification control technology has benefited 17 participating countries, of which technology demonstrations and promotions have been carried out in 8 countries, with a cumulative promotion area of ​​more than 50,000 hectares.

Although he is approaching retirement, Xu Xinwen has not stopped. He will soon go to Uzbekistan to promote the technology of Cistanche deserticola.

Not only that, he is also paying attention to the photovoltaic sand control project that has recently emerged on a large scale. "Photovoltaic sand control must pay more attention to protecting surface vegetation and doing a good job of ecological restoration to avoid causing desert degradation on a larger scale," said Xu Xinwen. (Text/Xie Huibian)