Efforts to stop creeping sand make headway on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

XINING - Traveling through the wilderness of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Guo Zenghong always tells his driver to go slow to avoid hurting young caragana seedlings along the route.

"It is extremely difficult for seeds and saplings to survive in the desert at high altitude," Guo said. "But they are the last hope for turning the desert into an oasis. I hope that no one will damage them."

An engineer in the Gonghe county forestry department in Qinghai province, the 54-year-old has been battling desertification on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for nearly 20 years.