Policy Framework for Combating Desertification and Oasis Development in the Taklamakan Desert
Rushan Hua, MLWS 2025
This study examined the underlying reasons why large-scale afforestation projects in the Taklamakan Desert repeatedly failed to meet their intended ecological and policy objectives. The Taklamakan Desert, as one of the driest environments on Earth, experiencing extreme wind activity, minimal rainfall, and fragile soil structures. Since the 1990s, State-led programs established hundreds of kilometers of shelterbelts and sand stabilization zones. However, long-term monitoring data indicated persistently high tree mortality rates, unsustainable irrigation practices, and ongoing soil degradation. By drawing on policy reviews, field data, and documented outcomes from previous restoration cycles, this study identified three interrelated structural barriers. First, afforestation projects often exceeded the ecological carrying capacities of local environments. Second, program success was typically measured by satellite-based vegetation cover rather than by plant survival or ecosystem function. Third, institutional arrangements limited local adaptability; in Xinjiang, most decisions were made by upper-level authorities, leaving local governments with little flexibility to adjust plans in response to on-the-ground conditions.
