Hey there, nature lovers! 🌿 Did you hear about Xinjiang's latest eco-innovations? Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is turning the tables on drought by diverting massive amounts of floodwater to revive its desert poplar forests—talk about going with the flow! 💦
This year, they're planning to channel a whopping 510 million cubic meters of floodwater into the thirsty Tarim River Basin. That's enough water to fill over 200,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools! 🏊♂️
Last year, they went above and beyond by pouring more than 1.1 billion cubic meters into the area—197% of the expected capacity. 🌊 Thanks to these efforts, approximately 181,333 hectares of forest were irrigated, and the vegetation coverage increased by 4.3% compared to the previous year. Not too shabby, right? 🌱
The desert poplar forests along the Tarim River, which is China's longest inland river, cover more than 666,000 hectares. They're the largest natural forest area of their kind, serving as a vital ecological barrier in southern Xinjiang. 🛡️
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. 🌞🌈 Despite their resilience to drought, many of these hardy trees have been dying off since the 1950s due to overuse of water resources along the river. To tackle this, Xinjiang kicked off a restoration project in 2019 to bring these forests back to life through smart floodwater diversion. 🌳
By harnessing the power of nature, Xinjiang is not only reviving its iconic desert poplars but also setting an example for eco-friendly initiatives worldwide. Way to go! 🎉
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
