FEATURES OF DESERTIFICATION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF DESERTIFICATION CONTROL IN CHINA

As one of the countries that have been suffering from the serious hazards caused by desertification, China has a huge amount of desertified land, which spreads widely, with a severe degree of desertification and a seriously hazardous feature. At present, some achievements had been obtained in desertification control. However, it was only in some local regions where the desertified land had been restored, while desertification has been expanding rapidly as a whole and the trends are worsening. The potential desertification areas have rich natural resources and great exploiting potentialities, but they have a fragile environment and a big population of minorities, less developed, and living in poverty. Potential desertification areas take a very special place in national economy, social development and environmental conservation in China, and meanwhile, desertification control plays an important role in reducing the distinction between the east and the west, eliminating poverty and speeding up the economic development of potential desertification areas as well as the whole China.