Wake up the sleeping desert resources
——Investigation on the Development of Xinjiang's "Desert Economy"
Geng Dandan
Xinjiang is the province with the largest desert area in my country, and the desert occupies more than a quarter of its own area.
How to awaken the sleeping desert resources and achieve high-quality economic development and ecological environmental protection "go hand in hand"?
A reporter from the Economic Daily found that Xinjiang takes the development of desert economy as an effective measure to achieve ecological protection and poverty alleviation. The pace of greening in sand and sea continues to accelerate, the development of characteristic industries continues to grow, and economic development has new highlights.
The vast desert, the vast Gobi.
Xinjiang is the province with the largest desert area in my country, with 1.66 million square kilometers of land, and the desert area is more than a quarter. The Taklimakan Desert, the Gurbantungut Desert and some smaller deserts are distributed in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.
Faced with the rich desert resources that sleep here, how to wake them up?
How to make the "face value" and value of the green mountains and waters continue to increase?
Can the desert economy be tailored to local conditions?
How to balance ecological and environmental protection while maintaining high-quality economic development?
The reporter's in-depth local research found that in recent years, Xinjiang has actively practiced the new development concept of innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing. The development of characteristic industries such as tourism continues to grow, and the desert economy has become a new growth point for Xinjiang's economic development.
Shali "sheng" gold
In the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, planting sand plants is becoming a new choice for local people.
In the desert next to Topayike Village, Cele Township, Cele County, Hotan Prefecture, 8000 acres of red willow and Haloxylon trees are planted, which is very spectacular from a distance.
It is worth mentioning that the roots of these plants are all interplanted with Dayun. Relying on Dayun's industry, the villagers have embarked on the road of increasing income and becoming rich.
"Last year, our family only planted Dayun and earned 200,000 yuan. Not only did we renovate the house, we also bought a new car, and the house changed." Villager Nurimaimat Sediq told reporters.
The Hotan area, located on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, is hot and dry, with wind and sand raging all year round.
In the constant adaptation to the natural environment, the Hotan area gradually took the initiative in sand prevention and control, using the roots of plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron and tamarisk, which were born in the desert, to interplant Da Yun to explore a sand prevention and sand control characteristic. The road of combining industries has given the local people a way to increase their income.
Also in the practice of sand prevention and control, Qiemo County, Bayingoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, is also actively exploring the development of eco-economic industries. 65,000 acres, forming a sustainable development situation of "Ecological Industry Raising Ecological Project".
The reporter learned during interviews and investigations that today, most of the desert marginal areas in southern Xinjiang have adopted the industrial development model of traditional windbreaking sand-fixing plants such as tamarisk and haloxylon interplanting Dayun. Farmers and herdsmen rely on Dayun planting to achieve stable income growth.
However, the problems of high output, low sales, and low extension of the industrial chain also plagued the development of local industries.
How to make desert planting more abundant and products more refined?
On the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, the Third Regiment of the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps chose to plant an economic forest-walnut forest to solve this development problem.
As one of the important ecological barriers in southern Xinjiang, San Tuan is adjacent to the edge of the desert. Trees have been planted since the 1970s and 1980s. Among them, the economic forest planting area exceeds 90,000 mu and the walnut planting area exceeds 70,000 mu.
With the natural advantages of large temperature difference between day and night, sufficient sunlight, and long frost-free period, the thin-skinned walnuts produced by San Tuan have high yield, good quality, and are green and organic.
"The current income of walnut is more than 5,200 yuan per mu, achieving a win-win of ecological and economic benefits." Guo Long, a professional technician from the Agricultural Development Service Center of the Three Groups, told reporters that in recent years, they have increased desertification control and desertification prevention and control efforts and accelerated The development of characteristic economic forest industry in southern Xinjiang sandy area.
During the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the Southern Xinjiang Division added more than 340,000 mu of economic forests, mainly composed of walnuts and apples, and created employment for tens of thousands of people.
From south to north, Qinghe County, located on the edge of the Kalamaili Desert in the Junggar Basin, relied on seabuckthorn planting to complete the arduous task of sand prevention and control in one fell swoop, improved the ecological environment, and brought stable income to farmers and herdsmen.
At present, the seabuckthorn planting area in Qinghe County has reached 100,000 mu, which has become the most distinctive industry in the local area.
The reporter also learned that in recent years, the development field of Xinjiang's desert crop processing industry has also continued to expand. A large number of sand industry products such as feed, medicine, health care products, cosmetics, and beverages have appeared one after another; desert areas such as Cistanche, wine grapes, sea buckthorn, and wolfberry. There are more than 150 special economic plant deep-processing enterprises; it drives the continuous development of related industries such as planting, processing, storage, transportation, and sales, and the sand industry chain continues to extend. The sand-bearing characteristic economy has become an important part of Xinjiang's desert economy.
Known as the "Silk Road Treasure", Yutian Desert Rose has a planting history of more than 2,000 years. The unique natural conditions in Hotan have created an excellent growth environment for it.
The reporter learned that in recent years, the local government has insisted on cultivating and developing the desert rose industry as a fundamental strategy for poverty alleviation, coordinating the planting base, production and processing, sales and circulation and other links, forming a complex of rose spice, food, daily chemicals, and medicine. The entire industrial chain of China has effectively promoted the development of local industries.
Yellow sand becomes "fire"
In addition to the "planing" of gold in the sand, more and more places have started the "business" of desert tourism.
Entering May, the "Gate of the Desert" scenic spot became more and more lively.
"As the weather gets hotter and hotter, there are more and more tourists." Yin Shuanglong, the person in charge of the "Desert Gate" scenic spot, told reporters that during the "May 1st" period, they held a bright desert carnival and photography in order to better welcome tourists. 10 activities including exhibitions, calligraphy exhibitions, and desert cross-country.
The scenic spot is located on the south bank of the Tarim River, adjacent to the Taklimakan Desert, the second largest mobile desert in the world, so it is known as the "gate of the desert".
In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the infrastructure of the "Desert Gate" scenic spot, the tourism service level of the cross-country rally venue has been continuously improved. While laying the foundation for undertaking large-scale sports events, desert camels, horseback riding experience, paragliding and other projects have also been provided for tourists. Go for a better play experience.
The deserts of Xinjiang are magical and magnificent, and the sand dunes have different shapes, which are unique tourism resources.
The reporter learned that in recent years, Xinjiang's tourism industry has developed well, and desert tourism has developed rapidly.
Sandboarding, sand bathing, ATV driving, desert camping, beach volleyball... more than 30 national desert parks spreading across the Tianshan Mountains allow visitors to experience the unique charm of the desert.
As the nearest desert in my country to the county seat, the Kumtag Desert is connected to Shanshan County, Turpan City.
In the 1990s, Shanshan County built a sand hill park on the edge of the county seat.
After years of development, various facilities in the scenic area have been continuously improved, and tourism products have become more abundant. In 2014, the Kumtag Desert Scenic Area was officially listed as the "China National Desert Park".
In recent years, Shanshan County has taken the development of a national desert park as its starting point, invested nearly 100 million yuan in construction funds, introduced self-driving camps, desert cross-country, desert deltas and other projects to create a unique one-stop tourism base. The connotation of “tourism+” is constantly enriched and the industrial chain is continuously extended.
From 2016 to 2019, the county received over 18.65 million tourists and achieved tourism revenue of over 14.5 billion yuan.
The reporter found that, relying on the resource advantages of various regions, although Xinjiang desert tourism is based on the desert, it is by no means uniform.
Martial arts-style graffiti, antique-style buildings, ancient-style performances... Guertu Town, Wusu City, which has won the title of "China's Most Beautiful Village", is adjacent to the second largest desert in my country-the Gurbantunggut Desert.
Here, you can experience a variety of natural scenery such as grasslands, deserts, lakes, and virgin forests.
Guertu Town is also one of the filming locations of the movie "Seven Swords Under Tianshan", and the character prototype in the martial arts novel "Jade Dragon" is also based on this.
With the help of resource advantages, Guertu Town has built a "wuxia post" on the edge of the desert with "wuxia" elements as its core.
"In addition to continuing to refine and transform the martial arts town this year, it will also increase tourism products, open a martial arts night market, and at the same time improve the infrastructure construction of desert scenic spots, and enrich tourism content such as desert exploration and desert flying." Xu Yong, director of the Guertu Town People's Congress Tell the reporter, "We must link the construction of martial arts towns with rural revitalization and the income of the people, so that the local people will feel more rewarded."
The Mutetar Desert, located in Tuotuo Town, Jinghe County, northern Xinjiang, also attracts a large number of self-driving tourists every year.
Relying on the tourism resources of the Muttar Desert, Tuotuo Town has established a professional embroidery cooperative for ethnic traditional handicrafts and opened farmhouses and homestays, which stimulated the consumption of ethnic handicrafts and characteristic agricultural and animal husbandry products, and allowed farmers and herdsmen to eat tourist meals. Earn travel money.
In the past, the Kulatai Nurshahati family in Guertu Pastoral Village, Toto Township mainly used grazing. Today, relying on tourist reception and dairy products supply, their family's net income from tourism is 80,000 yuan a year.
"There are too many people during the tourist season. I received 40 people on the most day of last year." Kulatai Nurshahati told reporters.
“In order to give tourists a better experience, the village has standardized tourism services since last year, and corresponding standards have been set for accommodation and catering.” Xu Haidong, the first secretary of the “Visit Huiju” Resident Task Force of Guertu Pastoral Village, told Reporter, "This year, the village is building a tourist service center and a star-rated hotel through investment promotion, and the RV camp project is also under planning."
Shahai sows "green"
The prevention and control of sand and the improvement of the ecology are the foundation of the sustainable development of the desert economy.
In late April, 20,000 mu of protein mulberry groves revealed new buds in the Ulan Dagai Desert on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains.
In the desert, more than 200 acres of grapes from the Li Xiaofang family of Bajiahu Farm in Jinghe County have just been unearthed and put on the shelves.
"In the past, when the wind and sand were very heavy in this season, the grape leaves would be knocked off after a wind passed, and at least half of the grape leaves would be lost." Li Xiaofang said that the ecological environment has improved significantly in recent years.
"In the past, our annual output of grapes was more than 100 tons, and now the best vintage can reach 240 tons."
The Ulan Dan Dagai Desert is located in Jinghe County on the southwestern edge of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang. Whenever a strong wind rages, the yellow sand in the sky has a serious impact on the local ecology and people's production and life.
As one of the key counties in Xinjiang for desertification prevention and control, since 2013, Jinghe County has built a demonstration site for protein mulberry cultivation, focusing on market-oriented and diversified ecological compensation mechanisms.
The protein mulberry forest, which is drought-tolerant and cold-resistant, has ecological functions such as soil and water conservation, wind and sand fixation, and water conservation, has not only become a green barrier for wind and sand fixation in the local area, but also guarded the farmland around the desert. The harvest of surrounding farmers has increased year by year.
"Over the years, in order to ensure the survival rate of protein mulberries and improve planting efficiency, the base has obtained a number of utility model patents such as rapid tree planting devices, early planting protection devices, high-efficiency water-saving devices, and automatic irrigation systems. We plan to extend planting by 4000 this year. Mu of protein mulberry, replacing more water-saving garden pipes." said Liu Jifa, general manager of the protein mulberry planting base in Jinghe County.
It is the tree-planting season, and Qiemo County has successively started the task of planting trees and preventing sand in the new year. Local people have contributed to the desert greening.
Two-thirds of Qiemo County is desertified land, and the county seat is separated from the desert by a river.
Beginning in 1998, the local area launched the "Homeland Defense War" for wind and sand control, and continued to plant trees and afforestation for more than 20 years.
In the desert east of the Chelchen River, they successfully planted a protection forest belt of more than 20 kilometers long and 7.5 kilometers wide, and the local ecological environment and human settlement environment have been significantly improved.
Carrying out continuous and large-scale afforestation and planting "green" in the Gobi and deserts has been an important and continuous project for the cities on the edge of the desert in Xinjiang for many years.
Entering the Third Regiment of the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, 10,000 mu of public welfare forests built a green ecological barrier on the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert.
Every day, the rangers take care to ensure that they take root deeply in the desert.
In 2009, Maimat Aili, an employee of the third group, became the guardian of ten thousand mu of public welfare forest.
"This is an offensive job, but watching these trees grow up over the years, the sense of accomplishment is greater than anything else." Maimat Aili told reporters.
The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has more than 100 desert missions. The ecological environment is fragile and the task of sand prevention and control is arduous.
In recent years, they have increased their efforts in desertification control and sand prevention and control. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, they have invested a total of 1.481 billion yuan in sand control and completed the control of 2,802,200 mu of desertified land.
While the green area continues to expand, Xinjiang is also working hard on technology-based wind prevention and sand control, forming and promoting a number of advanced and practical sand control modes such as non-irrigated afforestation, engineering sand control, and low-coverage afforestation, as well as the application of new technologies and new seedlings. And promotion gradually expanded.
On the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, where the "Desert Gate" is located, 26,000 acres of Atriplex are planted, and green plants are full of vitality in the desert.
The "gate of the desert" stretches for hundreds of kilometers on the sand dunes, and there is almost no grass growing.
In order to effectively prevent and control sand, in 2019, the 11th Regiment of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps established a project and invested more than 10 million yuan to plant four-winged Atriplex seedlings here.
"Atriplex is a woody plant, drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, and high in crude protein content. The branches and leaves can be used as animal feed." said Xie Xiaoyun, a technician from the Agricultural Development Service Center of the 11th Mission.
It is reported that since the "13th Five-Year Plan", more than 24 million mu of desertified land in Xinjiang has been rehabilitated, ranging from flooding yellow sand to lush greenery.
Planting greenery is only the beginning of desertification control. Over the years, various parts of Xinjiang have protected this "green home" by strengthening grassland closure and protection, strengthening forest prevention and control, and using water to determine forests and grasses, and continue to contribute to the sustainable development of the desert economy.