Illegal golf course threatens conservation area

BEIJING - An illegal golf course under construction in an ecological conservation area in Erdos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is endangering precious plants beneficial to soil and water conservation in such a parched environment.

The golf course, which is as large as 3,500 mu (233 hectares), is located in Jiuchenggong village, Dongsheng district, 15 km away from Erdos city. Areas near the village have struggled to cope with the twin problems of a severe water shortage and soil erosion since the 1960s, the Economic Information Daily reported on Thursday.

In response to these environmental challenges, in 1998 the Ministry of Water Resources planted seabuckthorn in the area to solidify the sand and improve the local ecology, which has begun to show signs of improvement. However, the construction of the golf course poses a threat to these environmental gains, the report said.