Study on Land Desertification and Its Prevention and Control Measures in the Minqin Oasis in Gansu Province

Minqin Country of Gamsu Province is located at the lower reaches of the Shiyang River Basin.The excessive water consumption in the upper reaches of the river leads to sharp reduction of runoff volume to this region.Moreover,the excessive reclamation in the Minqin Oasis causes sharp increase of water consumption.Under such situation,land desertification becomes more and more serious,and the land desertification speed is accelerated.Premier Wen Jiabao has made comment about this issue in the Minqin Oasis for 11 times,and he pointed out that we never let Minqin to become as the second Lop Nur Lake region.In this paper,the land desertification status and its hazard in the Minqin Oasis are analyzed based on the data of annual runoff volume from the Shiyang River to Minqin,land use and population since the 1950s.Based on the study results,some strategic measures are put forward for preventing and controlling land desertification in the oasis,they are to return farmland to wasteland or steppe and develop the water-saving ecosystems based on the local conditions as soon as possible.However,it is difficult to control land desertification and regenerate the ecology only by relying on the local energy in the Minqin Oasis.Therefore,it needs substantive capital and technical inputs and supports of the government at all levels.