Greening efforts lifting quality of life
The Namling Ecological Demonstration Zone presents the most beautiful scenery in the mid-summer, when its 70,000 acres of woods — mostly poplars, willows and elms — become their greenest.
The zone in the city of Shigatse in the Tibet autonomous region was founded in 2014, designed to spread its greening experience to the city as well as the rest of Tibet.
According to Kalzang Wangmo, deputy chief of the forest and grassland bureau of Namling county, a total of 150 million yuan ($21.62 million) has been invested in planting 1.92 million trees in the zone over the past eight years.
Champa Ngodrup, a resident in the township of Ema close to the demonstration zone, said he can sense the benefits brought by this greener vicinity.
“Thanks to the woods, there are no more sandstorms in windy days,” he said.
As the other parts of Namling copy the demonstration zone’s experience in planting trees, Kalzang Wangmo said the county as a whole is becoming greener, which has brought multiple benefits to residents.
“Our monitoring stations show that the occurrences of sandstorms have been reduced by more than 30%, oxygen content increased by 5% and atmosphere humidity grown by 10% over the past eight years,” the official said.
The Namling demonstration zone is just one example of Tibet’s successful greening campaign in recent years.
Statistics from the Tibet Department of Forest and Grassland show that Tibet, where most of the land used to be deemed not suitable for growing woods, now has a forest coverage of 12.31%.
Tibet’s efforts in protecting the environment also include the establishment of a great number of nature reserves and wetland parks.
Zhang Jiaping, an official at the region’s forest and grassland department, said Tibet is now home to 16.13 million acres of wetland parks, including 22 national-level parks.
He added that, by the end of 2021, the autonomous region had 47 nature reserves.
“The greening and ecological-improving efforts have further consolidated Tibet’s status as one of the most pristine lands in the world.” Zhang said.
The improving ecological environment is also bringing economic and social benefits.
Local researchers said the increased vegetation coverage has contained soil erosion and increased the content of oxygen.
They added that the greening campaign has made forest protection a new job opportunity and a new source of revenue for local residents.
Tashi Tsephel, a forest protection officer in the township of Guthang in the county
of Metog, has seen his role change over the past few years.
“I used to be a worker in a local forestry farm seven years ago and logging was my job,” Tashi Tsephel said.
Metog has been one of the counties with the largest forest coverage in Tibet and logging was the main business of local forest farms in the past.
“Then I was assigned the mission to protect the forests in 2015. I’m happy with the change of role in my career.
“The job of planting and protecting trees is far more enjoyable than cutting trees. Your hope expands with the expansion of green land, which steadily ensures your benefits,” Tashi Tsephel said.
As the head of the township forest protection station, he said he now earns an annual salary of 24,000 yuan ($3,456). His other incomes include dividends for his contribution of his family forest farm as a stake to a local forestry cooperative and subsidies from the government, which are worth 26,000 yuan a year.