As part of the monumental protection project, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was the first to start its protective operation this month. In Inner Mongolia, forest coverage is only five percent while soil erosion area amounted up to 10 million hectares., pouring 180 million tons sand to the river per year. While China is developing vast western regions as its long-term sustainable development strategy, biological protection and reconstruction were also high on the agenda.
Biological improvement is the cornerstone and starting point for the west development.
The heavy floods last year showed intolerable devastation of the biological environment, which shocked the country and highlighted its determination to conduct comprehensive and intensive ameliorative work to restore biological balance, Zhang added. The project concerning two rivers involves 13 provinces, autonomous regions and Chongqing Municipality. In the Yellow River area, seven provinces and autonomous regions are engaged to cease deforestation and preserve extant woods and bushes while afforesting by air sowing. Many years efforts have paid off. China's planted forests have exceeded 34 million hectares, the world's largest.