China to Protect Grassland in Northeast PlainThe government of Jilin Province in northeast China will invest one billion yuan (about 120 million U.S. dollars) in the coming 10 years to prevent a grassland area from turning into saline-alkali land or desert.Overgrazing and cultivation of paddy fields in the grassland, located in western Jilin and at the heart of the Songnen Plain, have caused environmental problems and affected local animal husbandry. Between 1985 and 1999, the grassland, home to well-bred sheep and cattle, shrank by 1.8 percent every year, 16.5 times the speed for the period from 1955 to 1985. The quality of grass has also degenerated considerably, local officials said. The province has 2.1 million hectares of grassland but one third of the total is not usable. The officials said that the provincial government has worked out a plan to harness one quarter of the affected grassland and stop agriculture cultivation and plant grass in 400,000 hectares of land in the coming decade. This year, the provincial government will allocate 108 million yuan for grassland conservation. |
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