Cotton Farms and China

The Tarim basin in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China is experiencing deforestation, water depletion and extremely dry temperatures. Researchers suggest a series of recommendations to preserve this unique desert

Xinjiang is an extremely dry region, set very far inland with one glacier melt-fed river flowing through it. However, these limited resources are highly depended upon. Among the ten million locals, animals, plants and surrounding land, there is considerable competition.

Cotton farmers may be the first to forfeit as soils increasingly become more contaminated. According to their study, soils that have medium to high levels of salt can only produce roughly half of what non-saline soils can support.

While cotton plants prefer a drier climate in order to avoid growing fungus, they also require a lot of water to grow. So, farmers turn to the rivers that can't regenerate themselves nearly as fast as they are being depleted. 

The water-use in the region also threatens the rare tree species Euphrates Popular, which relies on deep groundwater, according to the release. These trees are also threatened with deforestation, because farmers clear areas to enlarge their fields. Meanwhile, the trees provide protection against desert storms and help manage the area's climate, according to a release.

In an attempt to remedy this, the researchers suggested a series of preservation recommendations. They will present their findings at a conference in Xinjiang in September.

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Attached link

Taxonomy

• Agriculture
• Scarcity
• Drought