China's Innovative Fight Against Desertification Using Biotechnology and AI

In a proactive response to desertification, a global issue affecting over 100 nations, China has embraced innovative solutions, including biotechnological methods and AI-powered machinery. Observed on World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, this challenge has been particularly acute in China, prompting an extensive afforestation initiative that has made a considerable impact in thwarting desert spread.

The Lanzhou-Baotou Railway, constructed in 1958, serves as a crucial example of the effectiveness of these efforts. Located near the vast Tengger Desert, this railway has not only maintained its structure against advancing sands but has also catalyzed environmental transformation. Its protective green belts have stimulated the development of biocrust, breathing vitality into previously barren terrains.

In Zhongwei city, situated in China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, extensive human efforts over the past 60 years have adopted what is known as the "straw checkerboard" technique for stabilizing dunes. This involves placing straw on the desert floor in a grid pattern, which creates a conducive environment for vegetation to flourish and gradually convert the sandy area into greenery. Known as the "Chinese Rubik's Cube," this innovative method is gaining traction both domestically and internationally, enhancing soil texture and decreasing wind erosion in sandy locales.

The checkerboard structure promotes the emergence of a soil crust that curbs the impact of wind erosion. To expedite this natural process, researchers in China have introduced laboratory-cultivated cyanobacteria, which can significantly shorten the time required for biological soil crusts to form—from a typical span of 10 to 20 years to just one year with the cyanobacteria's application.

Zhao Yang, a researcher at the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, highlighted that this technology has already been implemented across more than 267 hectares in Ningxia, with aspirations for future expansion. When cyanobacterial solution is sprayed over the sand alongside the straw checkerboard technique, a stable biological soil crust can develop within 10 to 16 months. As a result, they observed a reduction in wind erosion exceeding 95 percent, along with improved survival rates of sand-fixing shrubs and decreased seedling replacement needs, leading to substantial cost savings in desertification control efforts.