Dunes and development

After spending two decades planting trees in the Kubuqi Desert in Northwest China, Wang Wenbiao has led his company overseas to reclaim land in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Wang, president of the China Elion Resources Group, plans to turn the five major deserts in Pakistan, including the Cholistan and Thal deserts, into oases by introducing ecological systems and environmental infrastructures.

The company's techniques reclaim land by promoting vegetative cover, planting forests, controlling desertification and developing weather-resistant cultivable land. Meanwhile, the living standards of local residents are improved via cattle-breeding, herb cultivation and tourism.