China’s ‘Green Great Wall’: Scientists issue new warning despite 50 years of work to tame desert growth
- For half a century, a monumental human endeavour has unfolded across China’s northern deserts, as millions of workers meticulously insert forearm-length sticks into shifting sands.
- Arranged first in rows, then intersecting lines, these gradually form a grid, within which saplings are planted and sustained by an irrigation system.
- This technique, known as "straw checkerboards," offers a simple yet highly effective method to stabilise sand dunes against the relentless wind, simultaneously aiding the establishment of new plant life.
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- For half a century, a monumental human endeavour has unfolded across China’s northern deserts, as millions of workers meticulously insert forearm-length sticks into shifting sands.
- Arranged first in rows, then intersecting lines, these gradually form a grid, within which saplings are planted and sustained by an irrigation system.
- This technique, known as "straw checkerboards," offers a simple yet highly effective method to stabilise sand dunes against the relentless wind, simultaneously aiding the establishment of new plant life.
Sources: The Independent