To strengthen the ongoing battle against desertification, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has recently released two technical guidelines to enhance sand control and land restoration efforts.

This initiative is poised to substantially support the Three-North Shelterbelt Project, a large-scale ecological engineering project in northern China.

The guidelines were proposed by the Inner Mongolia Forestry and Grassland Administration, with contributions from various research institutions, including the Inner Mongolia Academy of Forestry Sciences and Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, as well as several government departments and enterprises.

One of the guidelines, titled Technical Specifications for Sand Control and Desertification Prevention in Photovoltaic Projects, delineates the functional zones for sand control within photovoltaic project sites.

These zones include windbreak and sand-fixing vegetation belts on the site’s periphery and within photovoltaic arrays, as well as protective forest belts along maintenance roads and outside auxiliary facilities.

The guideline specifies the vegetation establishment techniques for each zone, outlines requirements for water resource protection and management, and details the protective use of vegetation resources.

It also sets forth calculation methods for effectiveness surveys, applicable to photovoltaic projects in desert, desertified, and gobi areas.

The second guideline, Technical Specifications for Comprehensive Management of Desertified Land, categorizes desertified land and establishes principles for its management.

It proposes comprehensive management techniques and scopes, including specific requirements for afforestation, grass planting, and aerial seeding.

The guideline also clarifies evaluation indicators for management effectiveness, making it applicable to comprehensively managing various types of desertified land across Inner Mongolia.