Twenty-nine nature reserves have been built in the Holun Buir Grassland in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to local sources.

The reserves consist of two reserves at the national level, seven others at the provincial level, and another 20 at the county level. They cover a total of 44,394 square kilometers, roughly 17 percent of the land mass of Hulun buir League (prefecture).

In 2000 alone, the local government controlled nearly 72,670 hectares of land prone to water and soil erosion. It also added 16,670 hectares of forests, with 3,000 hectares closed to farming.

(People’s Daily 04/04/2001)