Why the Chinese laid out thousands of squares on the sand in the Tanger desert

Dozens of people, despite the wind with sand and the infernal heat from which all living things melt, go to work every day. Using the simplest hand tools, they divide the sands of the Tengar desert into squares and reinforce them with straw. All this titanic work is part of a grandiose project called the Green Wall of China, which aims to stop the onset of deserts on habitable territories of China.

The Chinese leadership decided to actively fight with deserts located in the northern and northwestern parts of the country. These are Takla Makan and Gobi, the wind of which constantly brings tons of sand to the streets of Beijing. The Tanger Desert is part of the Alashan Gobi and is located in the east of the vast desert. This is the Gobi border, blocking which you can stop the spread of insatiable sand. The only ones who can do this are trees and shrubs adapted to life in the desert. If young plants are planted in loose sands, they will swallow them as soon as possible. Just in order to reduce the mobility of sand, people and fix them with straw, deepened in small ditches.

China plans to complete the landing of the Green Wall on the Gobi border by 2050. In those areas where work began back in the 70-80s of the last century, positive results are already noticeable. The grown trees formed a protective corridor, and the quality of life in nearby settlements has improved markedly. Where it was possible to stop the onset of the desert 20-30 years ago, today even farming is possible. That's what the Kuzupchi desert looks like today, which has completely transformed.

Interestingly, Africa is also trying to protect itself from the onset of the Sahara sands. Many African countries have come together to create a green belt that can hold back the sands to the south. How successful the African experience has been can be found in one of our past materials.