China has completed a 153-kilometer ecological barrier along the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert in Ningxia’s Zhongwei region, marking a major milestone in its decades-long sand control efforts. The project, known as the “desert edge-locking” initiative, uses traditional straw checkerboards—planted in a grid pattern—to stabilize shifting dunes and prevent wind erosion.
The barrier, ranging from 10 to 38 kilometers wide, is part of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the world’s largest afforestation campaign. Over the past two years alone, 2.6 billion yuan (about $363 million) has been invested in the project. Once the rainy season begins, workers will plant grass and desert-adapted shrubs within the checkerboards to secure the sand long-term.
Zhongwei, located between the Qilian and Helan mountains, is the only gateway for the Tengger Desert’s eastward expansion. Experts say the barrier will serve as a critical ecological buffer, protecting farmland, towns, roads, and the Yellow River from desert encroachment and reducing the source of sandstorms.
The effort dates back to the 1950s, when the straw checkerboard method was first developed to protect China’s Baotou-Lanzhou Railway. Since then, local authorities have collaborated with research institutions to enhance sand control using technologies like artificial cyanobacteria sand crusts and improved checkerboard designs.
To date, the city has restored about 370,000 hectares of land and pushed the desert back by 25 kilometers. Officials say the project not only restores ecosystems but also offers a global model for sustainable development in arid regions. China continues to share its desertification control expertise internationally, most recently through the China-Central Asia desertification cooperation center launched in Ningxia.
