On March 19, local reporters visited the ecological management areas in Hondlon district, an ecological management project area at the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain in Guyang county, and the sixth phase of the Three-North Shelterbelt Project area in Baotou's Shiguai district, to learn about their ecological protection and environmental management progress.

Baotou currently boasts a sandy area of 5.17 million mu (344,567 hectares), which accounts for 12.5 percent of the total land area of the city. Desertified land in the city covers an area of 35.37 million mu, accounting for 84.8 percent of the total land area of the city. Sandy and desertified lands are mainly distributed in Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner and Guyang county in Baotou.

Guyang county focuses on consolidating the results of national key ecological engineering projects such as planting shelterbelts and returning farmland to forests. In the ecological management project area at the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain, planting and watering work is underway.

Workers plant trees at the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain in Guyang county. [Photo/WeChat account of Baotou Daily]

"We mainly plant elm trees, which are drought-resistant and cold-resistant with a high survival rate. This enhances soil and water conservation and sand control functions," said Duan Xia, deputy director of the Guyang bureau of forestry and grassland.

In addition, in the sixth phase of the Three-North Shelterbelt Project area in Shiguai district, workers are carrying out tasks such as weeding and watering. Trees and other greenery will be planted after construction has been completed. It is understood that the forest coverage rate in Shiguai district has increased from 8.9 percent in 1998 to the current 35.5 percent.