The Green Wall of China, also known as the Green Great Wall or Great Green Wall (simplified Chinese: 绿色长城; traditional Chinese: 綠色長城; pinyin: Lǜsè Chángchéng), will be a series of human-planted forest strips in the People's Republic of China, designed to hold back the Gobi Desert.^[1] It is planned to be completed around 2074,^[1] at which point it is planned to be 2,800 miles (4,500 km) long.

Contents 1 Effects of the Gobi Desert 2 How It Works 3 Measuring Success 4 Problems 5 Relations to Climate Change 6 Critiques 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Effects of the Gobi Desert

China has seen 3,600 km² (1,390 miles²) of grassland overtaken every year by the Gobi Desert.^[2] Each year dust storms blow off as much as 900 square miles of topsoil and are increasing in severity each year. The storms destroy agriculture fields and cause massive problems to the cities, even other countries (Japan, North Korea, and South Korea). ^[3] The Green Wall started in 1978 with the proposed end result of raising northern China’s forest cover from 5 to 15 percent ^[4] and thereby reducing deserts.

[edit] How It Works

The most recent phase (the 4th phase started in 2003) has two parts: use aerial seeding to cover wide swaths of land where the soil is less arid and pay farmers to plant trees and shrubs in areas that are more arid. ^[5] A $1.2 billion oversight system (mapping and surveillance databases) was also to be implemented.^[5] The “wall” will have a belt with sand-tolerant vegetation arranged in checkerboard patterns in order to stabilize the sand dunes. A gravel platform will be next to the vegetation to hold down sand and encourage a soil crust to form.^[5] The trees should also serve as a wind break from dust-storms.

[edit] Measuring Success

As of 2009 China’s planted forest covers more than 500,000 square kilometers (increasing tree cover from 12% to 18%) – the biggest artificial forest in the world.^[6] However, of the 53,000 hectares planted, a quarter has died and of the remaining many are dwarf trees, which lack the capacity to protect soil.^[4] In 2008 winter storms destroyed 10% of the new forest stock, causing the World Bank to advise China to focus more on quality rather than quantity stock species.^[6]

[edit] Problems

There is still debate on the effectiveness of the project. If the trees succeed in taking root they could soak up large amounts of groundwater, which is extremely problematic for arid regions like northern China.^[5] For example, in Minqin, an area in north-western China, studies showed that groundwater level dropped by 39-62 feet.^[4]

Land erosion and over-farming have halted planting in many areas of the project. China's booming pollution rate has also weakened the soil, causing it to be unusable.^[2]

Furthermore, plant blocks of fast-growing trees reduces the diversity of forested areas, areas that are not suitable to plants and animals normally found in forests. "China plants more trees than the rest of the world combined," says John McKinnon, the head of the EU-China Biodiversity Programme. "But the trouble is they tend to be monoculture plantations. They are not places where birds want to live." The lack of diversity also makes the trees more susceptible to disease, as in 2000 where one billion poplar trees were lost to disease, setting back 20 years of planting efforts.^[4]

[edit] Relations to Climate Change

Recently the Great Green Wall has been used as defense against critics who accuse China of climate change irresponsibility. China’s forest scientists argue that monoculture tree plantations are more effective at absorbing carbon than slow-growth forests.^[6] So while diversity may be lower, the trees supposedly help to offset China’s carbon emissions.

[edit] Critiques

There are many who do not believe the Green Wall is an appropriate solution to China’s desertification issues. Gao Yuchuan, the Forest Bureau head of Jingbian County, Shanxi, stated that “planting for 10 years is not as good as enclosure for one year,” referring to the alternative non-invasive restoration technique that fences off (encloses) a degraded area for two years to allow the land to restore itself.^[4] Jiang Gaoming, an ecologist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and proponent of enclosure, says that “planting trees in arid and semi-arid land violates [ecological] principles”.^[4] The worry is that the fragile land cannot support such massive, forced growth. Others worry that China is not doing enough on the social level. In order for success many believe the government should encourage the farmers financially to reduce livestock numbers or relocate away from arid areas.^[5] There are also concerns that the Green Wall is mostly propaganda – as planting large swaths of trees looks great but does little for the environment if they do not live long.^[4]

[edit] See also

• Aerially Delivered Re-forestation and Erosion Control System
• Macro-engineering
• Desertification
• Great Plains Shelterbelt
• Buffer strip
• Energy-efficient landscaping
• Sand fence

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• China's Great Green Wall
• China's forest shelter project dubbed "green Great Wall"
• Grassland ecology to curb sandstorms
• Taming the Yellow Dragon - A Billion Trees in the Desert
• Taming the Yellow Dragon - The Korea Herald

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