Sand control gains momentum in Tongliao, N China's Inner Mongolia

"In the past, this area was plagued by blowing sand, and in spring the airborne sand made it difficult for people to go outside," said Guo Yan, who is in charge of sand control and afforestation at the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner, Tongliao city, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"Now things are completely different. In summer, the area is blanketed in greenery, and residents and tourists come and go freely. Carbon emission quotas are also traded here," Guo added.

Tongliao lies at the core of the Horqin Sandy Land, being one of China's most ecologically vulnerable regions. This year, the city plans to complete ecological restoration across 3.92 million mu (about 2,611 square kilometers) of sandy land.

Currently, the sixth stage of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program is in full swing in Tongliao. At the core area of the comprehensive sand control project in Guanghui village, Naiman Banner of Tongliao, workers can be seen installing straw checkerboard barriers across the dunes.

According to Li Songlin, deputy director of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Naiman Banner, most of the workers are local villagers or residents from nearby areas. They take part in sand control work during their off-farm hours, earning extra income while contributing to ecological restoration.

Photo shows straw checkerboard barriers at a comprehensive sand control project in Guanghui village, Naiman Banner of Tongliao, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Kou Yanan)

In the restoration zone of Sharitala village in Chaolutu town, Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner, 160 kilometers away, 48-year-old Bichirltu is working with others to dig pits and plant trees.

Villagers plant trees on sandy land in Sharitala village, Chaolutu town, Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner of Tongliao, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Kou Yanan)

A resident of Sharitala village, Bichirltu recalls his childhood vividly. "Around the Qingming Festival (early April), the sand on the roads would pile up above our ankles. You couldn't even open your eyes. Things are much better now and those conditions are rarely seen anymore."

Like Bichirltu, many local residents are involved in sand control efforts while going about their daily lives. In recent years, Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner has explored an innovative model incorporating the government, enterprises and farming households for sand control, increasing farmers' incomes while achieving ecological restoration and improvements in production and living conditions.

In 2025, Inner Mongolia M-grass Ecology and Environment (Group) Co., Ltd. secured a public tender to undertake an ecological restoration project in Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner. The company was tasked with restoring 24,000 mu of land, a target that has now been fully achieved.

Photo shows seeds and organic fertilizers that Inner Mongolia M-grass Ecology and Environment (Group) Co., Ltd. plants and applies in Sharitala village, Chaolutu town, Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner of Tongliao, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Kou Yanan)

Adapting measures to local conditions, the company carries out restoration through a combination of artificial grass planting and tree planting, and has also introduced innovative techniques such as seed-embedded ropes to improve germination rates.

By 2030, Tongliao aims to achieve a forest coverage rate of 24 percent and grassland vegetation coverage of 67 percent, with at least 90 percent of days annually rated "good" for air quality. The city also targets full development of high-standard farmland in sandy areas and an average annual increase of 8 percent in per capita disposable income in sand-affected regions.