STNMTZ_20001001_77D.TIF | George Steinmetz

Gansu, China
Dunes threaten to inundate farmland near Dunhuang. The fields are protected by windbreaks of trees planted to stop plowed soil from blowing away in dust storms. Most of western China’s rapid desertification has been caused by overgrazing, over-cultivation, and cutting down trees for fuel. The UNFAO estimates that China has lost 24% of its land area to encroaching desert since the 1950s.

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Copyright: © 2000 George Steinmetz
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Gansu, China<br />
Dunes threaten to inundate farmland near Dunhuang. The fields are protected by windbreaks of trees planted to stop plowed soil from blowing away in dust storms. Most of western China’s rapid desertification has been caused by overgrazing, over-cultivation, and cutting down trees for fuel. The UNFAO estimates that China has lost 24% of its land area to encroaching desert since the 1950s.