The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China has decided to ban nomadic herding in the region by early next year, according to local officials.
The ban will be carried out throughout the region before May 1, 2003. Actually, some areas of Ningxia have already stopped nomadic herding.
Being one of the ten major pasturing areas of China, Ningxia has three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of natural grasslands, but 90 percent of which have deteriorated and desertified to varying degrees since the 1960s. Overgrazing is thought to be the main cause.
To tackle the worsening environment, Ningxia began an ecological protection project three years ago. Nearly 133,000 hectares (328,643 acres) of grasslands have been revitalized. The ban on nomadic herding turns out to be the best way to stop damage to the pastures.
To farmers accustomed to free herding, the ban is a huge challenge. In recent years local governments have attached great importance to replacements for free herding, such as grazing fenced grasslands and raising sheep on cultivated grass in enclosed sheds.
"Wandering herds are difficult to fatten. In the past I sometimes could not sell the sheep I raised for one year," said Chen Yulu who has raised more than 10 thousand sheep.
"Now I can sell the sheep after only three or four months in fixed sheds with each of them earning 30 yuan (US$3.6) for me," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2002)
