Short description of the best practice

High Vertical Living Sand Barrier is a protective barrier set in the wind and sand stricken areas. The barrier with certain height and penetrability is made up of growing plants suitable for dry and sandy conditions to alleviate the wind and sand drifting speed through the rows of plants, and finally piling up the drifting sand. It is an effective sand fixation approach to protect infrastructure from being ravaged.

Location

Jiuquan City of Gansu Province, China|

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Soil texture is coarse sandy and soil erodibility is very high.
Arid.
Plain/plateaus

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Railway department (in state owned form), land around collective owned by the farmers|
Local income level is low. Per Capita Annual Net Income is CNY 8158 in Rural areas of Jiuquan City in 2011.
Farming.

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

Annual rainfall is over 150mm, and in the areas of railway and highway line.
It is highly effective, suitable to natural conditions. Annual rainfall is over 150mm.

Main problems addressed by the best practice

1. Protect farmland, road and other facilities from harms of sand storms.
2. Guarantee traffic operation, increase income, improve environment condition, raise people’s living standard.
3. Raise community’s capability in ecological protection.
4. Raise community participation.
1. Protect farmland, road and other facilities from harms of sand storms.
2. Guarantee traffic operation, increase income, improve environment condition, raise people’s living standard.
3. Raise community’s capability in ecological protection.
4. Raise community participation.

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

The drifting sand burying the railway and wind erosion was addressed.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

1. Control drift sand burying road and facilities.
2. Reduce wind speed and improve production condition.
3. Raise vegetation cover and improve production condition.
1. Control drift sand burying road and facilities.
2. Reduce wind speed and improve production condition.
3. Raise vegetation cover and improve production condition.
1. Control drift sand burying road and facilities.
2. Reduce wind speed and improve production condition.
3. Raise vegetation cover and improve production condition.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

1. Select cutting of C. klementzil and one year seedlings of Haloxylon ammodendron for planting, with plant space 10 cm of more.
2. Check the plant survival condition in the spring following the establishment of the plant barrier, conduct replanting to the unplanted of dead. 3. The living sand barrier built should be looked after by specialized people to avoid damages of domestic animals.|
1. 2-4 belts of windbreak are proper for the seriously affected areas and 1-2 belts are suitable for lightly affected places.
2. The first belt of windbreak should be planted perpendicular to the wind direction about 200m to the rail tracks to be protected at the windward side.
3. Further, windbreaks should be planted in 20m intervals to total 2-4 belts in parallel with the first one.
No answer provided.
1. High vertical living sand barrier is built in spring.
2. On drift sand site, draw straight line perpendicular wind direction of afforestation, at the span of about 20m.
3. Afforestation and watering.|

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

Select suitable plant species and determine row spacing and specifications according to drift sand condition, especially drift intensity, and to form a high vertical barrier.
The first belt of windbreak should be planted perpendicular to the wind direction about 200m to the rail tracks to be protected at the windward side. Further, windbreaks should be planted in 20m intervals to total 2-4 belts in parallel with the first one. Calligonum klementzil, Haloxylon ammodendron, Salix psammophila, etc. may be planted. 25cm or longer cuttings, or one year old seedlings in 30cm are proper for the plantation of Calligonum and Salix psammophila; one year old seedlings of 30cm in length suits planting of Haloxylon ammodendron. Initial density should be kept in 10-12 tree/m.

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Gansu Desert Control Research Institute|No answer provided.

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Ja

List the partners:

Lanzhou Railway Bureau in Gansu Province.

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• Programme/project-based initiative
• Local initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Ja

List local stakeholders involved:

Rail workers.|Local farmers.

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

Rail workers were responsible for maintenance of technology. Local farmers offered labor in the use of the technology.

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Nee

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Fix drift sand and reduce ground wind speed.
Add vegetation cover of the sand area, reduce sand striking to crops around the project area.|
Raise farmers’ awareness of sand fixation.
Improve local industrial and agricultural production conditions.
Improvement of local capacity on sand dune fixation.
Encourage local participation of ecological project.
Prevent sand burying road and other facilities.
Improvment of local developemnt base, access to markt by rail way,local imcome increase

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Ensure the normal operation of the entire Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway line service.
Form a technical extension mechanism by integrating research and extension.

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

Activities and measures taken in the best practices/technology, fixed drift sand and added vegetation cover of the sand areas, so the best practice had a positive impact on biodiversity conservation and climate change. |

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Ja

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Ja

Where?

The sand areas in the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway line.

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

Local farmers participated in the use of the technology.
Choice of the technology adapted to local natural and socio-economic conditions.
Researcher-Enterprise Cooperation mode of technology development and promotion.

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Ja

At which level?

• Local
• Sub-national

Related to human resources

Lack of effective organization of the human resources.|Participating communities and individuals are limited.|The individual capacity of some participants is limited.

Related to technical aspects

Farmers lack the ability of the application and promotion of the technology.