The current situation of the Horqin Desert afforestation project

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) started an afforestation project called the "Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) Forest Project" in Horqin Desert in Inner Mongolia, China, by assigning an NGO for the environment called G-Net in 2005. The ultimate goal of the project is improving the lives of the inhabitants by restoring vegetation to the desert with their help so that they can enjoy continuous use of the land. Achieving this goal needs a change in the way of thinking of the inhabitants who worsened desertification by excessive grazing, etc., and to develop a means to improve their lives after restoration of vegetation and to root the means. The project is not easy, requiring many trials to incorporate the opinions of the inhabitants who will eventually have to put the means into practice. The project has to progress in tandem with the state of change in the consciousness of the inhabitants. G-Net hopes to achieve the goal with its ten-year plan.

By fiscal 2007, although there was strong variation by area, vegetation had colonized the greening land, and sand almost no longer visible.

To progress to the next step of the afforestation project, the right to use the land was granted to the Hasuratai community who had been helping with the tree planting. This was partly to remove their worries and doubts about G-Net's project, but more importantly to create an environment where the inhabitants themselves do the afforestation. In fiscal 2008, the cultivation of crops between the poplar trees was suggested to enthusiastic villagers. In fiscal 2007, G-Net did the irrigation and cut back the vegetation to raise effectiveness, but told the land use right holders that they themselves would have to do the work of irrigation, cutting back the vegetation and so on, insofar as possible from fiscal 2008. However, the burden of the cost of maintaining the fences, etc., is a matter for the future.

Concerning the granting right to use the land, the land allocations of equal area to the inhabitants participating in the afforestation project were covered by contracts with stipulations to protect the land, such as prohibition of resale for ten years.

This is the fourth year since the tree planting, but we will continue to watch over the progress of the afforestation project.

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