China would need at least 10 years to curb desertification that is exacerbating erosion around the world's highest and largest wetlands, the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, preservation experts have said.

Desertification has proven one of the worst ecological problems harassing the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve in the remote northwestern Qinghai Province, said Li Xiaonan, an official in charge of wetland preservation in the reserve.

China launched a massive ecological preservation project in the region in 2005 to restore pastureland and move herders out of vulnerable areas.

"These measures have proven effective, but it will take about five years to restore the ecology and at least 10 years to curb desertification in the region," said Li.

Sanjiangyuan, meaning "the source of three rivers", is an area where the Yangtze, the Yellow River and the Lancang River originate. The 363,000-square kilometer area, located more than 4,000 meters above sea level, is home to the world's highest wetlands.

Yet a 2003 national survey indicated 2.88 million hectares of sandy land at the origins of the Yangtze and Yellow River alone.

A group of scientists with the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Study Institute of the Chinese Academy of Scientists warned the situation would continue to deteriorate because of climate changes, overgrazing and increasing human activities.

Desertification is not only damaging the pastureland and hindering the development of the local animal husbandry industry, it also destroys water conservancy by burying waterways and speeding up evaporation, said Li Xiaonan.

Wetlands are shrinking across China, mostly a result of climate changes, overgrazing and excessive exploitation of rivers.

China has earmarked 16.5 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) to protect and restore its wetlands during the 11th five-year-plan period between 2006 and 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2007)