16-day journey concludes on Taklimakan Desert for 'edge-locking' initiative
A 16-day expedition focused on the 'edge-locking' project in the Taklimakan Desert has concluded.
TroibNews 
The research expedition focused on the "edge-locking" project surrounding the Taklimakan Desert has recently concluded successfully, as reported by China Media Group. This expedition aimed to assess the actual effects and potential challenges related to the "edge-locking" initiative.
Over 16 days, the research team conducted an on-site inspection along the desert’s 3,046-kilometer perimeter, collecting data intended to aid in constructing a vital technical system for effective forest and grass belts, as well as enhancing efforts to control desertification.
Contributors to the project included researchers from the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They documented and analyzed various technologies employed at the Ruoqiang County project site, such as engineering-based and photovoltaic sand control methods, gathering valuable first-hand data.
"The team conducted in-depth research on various techniques applied in the 'edge-locking' project, including engineering, biological, and photovoltaic sand control methods, and explored the social and environmental factors involved. This provides data for assessing the project's effectiveness and lays a foundation for the project's next phase," remarked Zhang Huifang, a researcher at the Modern Forestry Research Institute under the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry.
Additionally, the team assessed the implementation of flood irrigation projects and highlighted the importance of further investigating appropriate spacing for grass grid sand barriers.
As the largest shifting sand desert in China and the second-largest in the world, the Taklimakan poses significant ecological risks due to its shifting nature and frequent sandstorms. On November 28, 2024, the green sand-blocking protective belt around the entire 3,046-kilometer edge of the Taklimakan Desert was successfully completed with the planting of rose seedlings in the final desert "edge-locking" gap area in Yutian County.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
Over 16 days, the research team conducted an on-site inspection along the desert’s 3,046-kilometer perimeter, collecting data intended to aid in constructing a vital technical system for effective forest and grass belts, as well as enhancing efforts to control desertification.
Contributors to the project included researchers from the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They documented and analyzed various technologies employed at the Ruoqiang County project site, such as engineering-based and photovoltaic sand control methods, gathering valuable first-hand data.
"The team conducted in-depth research on various techniques applied in the 'edge-locking' project, including engineering, biological, and photovoltaic sand control methods, and explored the social and environmental factors involved. This provides data for assessing the project's effectiveness and lays a foundation for the project's next phase," remarked Zhang Huifang, a researcher at the Modern Forestry Research Institute under the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry.
Additionally, the team assessed the implementation of flood irrigation projects and highlighted the importance of further investigating appropriate spacing for grass grid sand barriers.
As the largest shifting sand desert in China and the second-largest in the world, the Taklimakan poses significant ecological risks due to its shifting nature and frequent sandstorms. On November 28, 2024, the green sand-blocking protective belt around the entire 3,046-kilometer edge of the Taklimakan Desert was successfully completed with the planting of rose seedlings in the final desert "edge-locking" gap area in Yutian County.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
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