Overgrazing has resulted in desertification of about 80 percent of the 574,700-square-kilometer of pasture in the co-developing area. The same thing is happening to the 519,000-square-kilometer of farmland, where 45 percent of the belt has been covered with sand, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The joining belt of farming and pasture industries runs through 12 provinces and autonomous regions from northeast to southwest. With some 1.1 million square kilometers, the belt is facing the worst vegetation damage in the country.

Surrounding deserts are still spreading by several thousand hectares a year.

Han Jianguo, an expert in research of pasture ecology at China Agricultural University, said the belt, the location of many rivers' sources or upper reaches, plays a crucial role in sustaining crop yields and building up a barrier against sand and heavy winds for the lower reaches.

To curb the ecological problems, experts suggest the raising of livestock become the area's pillar industry, increasing its output value to more than 70 percent of the area's total.

(www.eastday.com)