Desertification: scar of the South China

For many, South China elicits images of greenery, lakes, and trees. But now those images are taking a hit by a phenomenon known mostly to the country's north. Desertification has reared its ugly head and is leaving what locals call "the Scars of the South".

A village on the banks of Boyang lake, one of China's largest lakes, now engulfed by desertification.

Liu Mingxing, Jiangxi Local Villager, said, "When there's strong wind, the sand is blown into the villages and will be all over the place. When it rains hard, the sand rushes down and fills up the ponds."

Here the sand is continuing to spread, even threatening the villagers' source of income.

Hu Yucai, Jiangxi Local Villager, said, "It's getting closer to the farmland, as soon as it starts to rain, the sand moves to the crop land."

In South China, desert patches have shown up in over 12 provinces. Experts say that illegal mining, abusive agricultural work, and logging have also been contributing to desertification. But the greater challenge is climate change...

Prof. Liu Yuanqiu, Jiangxi Agricultural Uni., said, "We always thought desertification couldn't happen in the south, it's a problem only in the dry north. But we have to realize this risk, desertification in some areas here are pretty serious."

For years, local authorities have been trying to plant trees here, but in the desert areas, there's not enough water, and nutrients. Plants can hardly survive.

Zhao Wangsheng, Deputy Director, Duchang Forestry Bureau, said, "Look at this tree, it's no more than 1.5 meters high, but it's over ten years old, it would have been over ten meters high if it were planted in a normal environment."

And the government is also trying to rent the land to individuals for free. So they can cultivate the land and possibly make some money. But because of the tough environment, the business is highly risky.

Wu Xiangen, Land Contractor, said, "In 2006 I started to plant. And I plant every year. Every year I put in a lot of money. But last year, they were drowned by the flood."

Now experts are calling for more money to be put in place. They also say more research should also be done to fight the sand and bring the land back to life.