Small Grant Project of Global Environment Facility Was Formally Implemented

　 The project of Community Participation in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Junggar Desert was formally implemented on April 10, 2010. The project belongs to the Small Grant Project (SGP) of Global Environment Facility (GEF) which was founded by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. The project sites are located in the Laotai village of the Jimsar County and the Xibeiwan village and Xidi town of the Qitai County in the marginal regions of the Junggar Basin. Representatives from Botanical Society of Xinjiang, Associations of Science and Technology of Changji Prefecture, Qitai County and Jimsar County had been in the project sites. 
  GEF has invested 70 thousands Chinese Yuan on the pre-phase activities of the biodiversity conservation and sustainable management and provided 75,000 pieces of Cistanche deserticola seeds paper and more than 264,000 seedlings of Haloxylon ammodendron. Planting H. ammodendron can resist wind erosion and improve sand-fixing capacity of the desert. Inoculating Cistanche deserticola can increase the income of local farmers and herdsmen simultaneously, obtaining both ecological and economic benefits.

The project was supported by the local farmers and herdsmen. More than one hundred people of the Laotan Village of Jimsar County, including over 40% of women, and 170 farmers and herdsmen of Xidi Town of the Qitai County, including over 50% of women, participated in the planting activity. It is a good season for planting and keeping soil moisture, farmers and herdsmen were enthusiastic in the field. One day training  was fulfilled by two local technicians the day before the project implement. Planting H. ammodendron seedlings and inoculating Cistanche deserticola in the field were conducted under the assistance of the technicians. The planting area of H. ammodendron and Cistanche deserticola has be more than 80 hm² till April 12, 2009.