Since CAS is charged with the key task of carrying out strategic, fundamental and forward-looking studies for this country, it is incumbent upon CAS scientists to take an active part in the National Program for the Development of Western China. This is also an important part of the national Knowledge Innovation Program (KIP) spearheaded by CAS. Over the past two years, CAS has made a series of remarkable advances in western China with regard to the development of research bases, exploration of crucial scientific problems, the training of talented people, and providing consultation services for decision makers. With the furtherance of the national drive to develop the country's western region, CAS will step up its efforts and increase its funding, to make more and greater contributions to the overall development of the region.
I. The Development of Research Bases in Western China
There are 23 CAS institutes (including monitoring stations and botanical gardens) in western China, the majority having been founded in the 1950s and 1960s with the objective of harnessing the local eco-environment, developing natural resources and promoting the regional economy. During the past few decades, CAS scientists, braving the hostile elements, have made indelible contributions to the regional economy and social sustainable development. In light of national strategic goals and the overall blueprint of the KIP, CAS founded two bases: the Research Center for Natural Resources, the Environment and Social Sustainable Development in Northwest China, and the Research Center for Biodiversity and the Utilization of Local Resources in Southwest China. By the end of October 2001, 15 CAS institutes in the region had been selected as testing units for KIP and received an additional annual input of nearly 200 million yuan. Besides, the Academy has built 22 field work stations in typical ecosystems of western China, where a great number of long-term and on-the-spot observation and experimental projects have been completed, providing scientific data on resources, the environment and ecological studies. In the stage of all-round advancement of the KIP, the Academy will invest 100 million yuan in the infrastructure of the monitoring outposts. In 2001, the Academy arranged 18 projects of capital construction in its Western China bases, totaling 149 million yuan in aggregate investment. Now, a research system is taking shape in the region with the support of CAS institutes and fieldwork stations. The research system, aiming at introducing regional sustainable development in western China, is playing a more and more important role in the region's development.
II. The Initiation of Key Projects in Line with Regional Demands
For realizing the national strategic program of western China's development, there are a lot key scientific problems urgently awaiting solution. Focusing on the environmental evolutionary process, its influencing mechanisms and development tendencies, CAS has initiated a spectrum of research projects providing practical data for decision-makers. Among them, there are eight academy-level projects, involving 123 million yuan in total investment. In the more than one year since their initiation, remarkable advances have been achieved in exploring the evolutionary laws of the western China ecosystems, construction and demonstration tests of their restoration and industrial application of high-tech results.
1. Evolutionary Patterns of the Eco-environment in Western China
This was the first research scheme of the CAS Action Plan for the Development of Western China. Its research tasks include a systematic analysis of evolutionary development, and development tendencies and influencing mechanisms of the eco-environment in the region, providing a clear picture of its evolutionary traces on different temporary and spatial scales and forecasting the development trend for the next 50 years. The comprehensive assessment of the eco-environment will provide practical data for the State's macroscopic policies and scientific schemes. After one year of arduous work, the eight research projects under the Action Plan have made the following advances:
(1) Acquisition of first-hand data through systematic investigations
This includes drilled core samples from sedimentary strata on the bottom of Erhai Lake in Yunnan Province, Qinghai Lake and Ebinur Lake in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the 116.8m-long ice core specimen taken by drilling at an elevation of 6,650 meters down the flow line from the permafrost soil. In addition, some of the latest data was acquired as a result of deep-going surveys on the water resources in arid areas, ecosystems at the source areas of major rivers, water loss and soil erosion on the Loess Plateau, faunal and floral wilderness evolution and the eco-economy in typical areas of the region. All this has laid a solid foundation for further research.
(2) Analytical studies shed new light on important issues in evolutionary development
For instance, studies from chronology (via the phenomena of thermo-luminescence, light-stimulated luminescence and magnetic strata), sedimentology and tectonic analysis, have revealed that a cataclysmic tectonism and a prehistorical adjustment of the reshaped paleo-drainage system occurred in the northeast part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau about 2 million years ago. During on-the-spot observation of the peripherical sediments in the Taklamakan and Gurbantunggut deserts in Xinjiang, a lot of loess-eolian soil-paleo-soil sections were brought to light. The well-preserved sedimentary series records the history of the deserts' expansion and shrinkage, indicating their origin and development. Based on the disciplinary build-up of paleo-environmental data derived from loess, desert, lacustrine basin, glacier and permafrost recordings, involving more than 300 research outposts and about 1,000 copies of documentary material, cartographic charts on the paleo-environment during the Holocene and last glacial epoch were plotted.
(3) A monograph on the evolutionary assessment of Western China's environment
CAS scientists completed a monographic report on the evolutionary evaluation of western China's Environment, in line with world research norms and based on formal research publications in natural, cultural and social sciences, before the year 2000. Through citing authoritative conclusions and well-established data, it gives an overall analysis, exposition and evaluation of the regional characteristics, and their evolution in the environment of the region, its future course of development, its response to environmental changes and related countermeasures. Based on this, consultative proposals of forward-looking and strategic significance were developed. The studies took 70 or so scientists more than one year to complete, and the draft report was examined and revised three times and appraised by eight workshops with the participation of 23 leading specialists nationwide. This is a scientific analysis conducted by senior Chinese scientists on the research results obtained by China during the past 50 years. The report embodies a science-oriented approach, innovation and multi-disciplinary integration and will greatly influence the current national drive for the development of western China.
2. Experimental and demonstration studies on the reconstruction of typical ecosystems in Western China.
This is the second sheme of the CAS Action Plan for the Development of Western China. Its main tasks include the inauguration of various experimental and demonstration zones for the reconstruction of the eco-environment on the basis of CAS field stations and in the light of the State's major projects and the overall planning for the region. CAS has set up experimental demonstration zones in such typical eco-environment regions as the Loess Plateau (in Ansai County under Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province), inland river valleys (such as the Heihe Valley in Gansu Province), oases in depopulated wildernesses (the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River in Xinjiang), transitional buffer zones between herding and farming areas (such as the Hunsandak Sands in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) and on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (such as the up-stream of the Minjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze in Sichuan Province). By taking advantage of the existing achievements and conditions, and through research into and the development and integration of key technologies, efforts have been made to explore the restoration of depleted ecosystems to improve the regional reconstruction of native ecosystems and socio-economic progress. Since the initiation of the demonstration drive in 2000, CAS scientists at various demonstration zones have formed rewarding partnerships with local authorities and made encouraging progress in the following aspects:
(1) On the basis of environmental background data collected from demonstration zones, CAS scientists, together with local people, have worked out schemes to upgrade the local eco-environment and economic development. For example, scientists at the experimental zone on the upper reaches of the Minjiang River contrived to reach a consensus with local authorities to include their research projects into the national engineering projects carried out in the region, such as the protection of natural forests and rehabilitation of reclaimed farmlands so as to pool funding resources. This approach has led to an increase in the personal income of farmers, in taxation revenue, and in more benefits for enterprise operations. As a result, the practice of restructuring farming undertakings and some key national projects for ecosystem upgrading have produced workable patterns. In the demonstration zone designed for the Loess Plateau, scientists cooperated with local technicians to carry out surveys of the land use and industrial composition in different sections of the zoning system and draw up overall and monographic plans. The Tarim River demonstration zone has succeeded in drawing up eight proposals for accessory projects in line with the all-round plan ratified by the State authorities for harnessing the river. The testing station in the Heihe River valley has yielded various demonstration samples for nurturing artificial meadows and the draft of a development scheme for animal husbandry and desertification prevention in Sunan County, Linze County and Ejin Qi on the Heihe River's upper, middle and lower reaches, respectively.
(2) Monitoring networks of positioned outposts have been built in demonstration zones, and obtained data about various factors in the reconstruction of ecosystems, providing grounds for appraising the benefits derived from the adopted harnessing measures. In the lower reaches of the Tarim River in Xinjiang, for example, six sections have been demarcated for monitoring the river's flow, five for monitoring the vegetation growth, seven for monitoring underground water and 27 monitoring wells (12m-16m in depth) so that the full length of the mainstream of the river (145 kilometers from Da Xihaizi to Algan), various hydrological parameters such as runoff in the watercourse, underground water table, salinity, and vegetation growth trends are supervised and measured. For more than one year, the data obtained from the continual survey provided scientific grounds for the scheme to re-direct water from the river, and for the rehabilitation of the river's depleted ecosystem. Designed to explore the influence of the restored vegetation on local water resources in typical areas of the Loess Plateau, another monitoring system furnishes necessary data for the general layout and taxonomic composition of the envisaged vegetation in an area's eco-construction plan and the governmental policy of afforestation or grass-planting on the reclaimed farmlands. Similar supervisory systems have been introduced to other testing or demonstration zones, resulting in the acquirement of some observational materials and on-the-spot data.
(3) The introduction, integration and promotion of applied technologies in the region have led to remarkable demonstration effects. In five experimental zones, the acreage of the area where the new technologies are being popularized totals nearly 667,000 hectares, yielding more than 150 million yuan in economic gains. For example, a technique for saving irrigation water in winter instead of spring has been introduced to maize and alfalfa plantations in the Tarim Basin. Both the rate of germination and the rate of seedling survival are up to the preset requirements, and the water-saving effect is impressive. As statistics shows that 1,500 cubic meters are saved for each hectare, the whole county can save 40 million cubic meters of water each year. Another encouraging experiment is the covering of corn fields with plastic sheeting. With two croppings a year, 225 tons of fresh forage can be produced in this way, the highest yield of corn per hectare, capable of supporting 75 ewes and 75 lambs until they are big enough to be slaughtered. This is a research breakthrough not only for the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region but also for the whole country. Another record was created in a Hunshandak testing zone in Inner Mongolia. A meadow planted with millet for one- or two-year cropping succeeded in harvesting 4.5 tons per hectare when a protracted drought hit the area for three years in a row and the average yield in the area was less than 0.45 tons per hectare. This is the highest yield in the region without irrigation. An experimental zone on the Loess Plateau greatly promoted the national project for reforestation of reclaimed farmland by adopting a series of comprehensive measures. By 2001, a sub-zone in Yangou had 830.1hm2 of reforested farmland, leading to a reduction of 48.9% in the acreage of grain farmland. Because of the successful readjustment of cropping composition and adoption of advanced agronomic techniques, its average yield per hectare reached 3.216 tons per hm2, a 76.4% increase over 2000, while the grain productivity per capita was 465.5 kg and individual annual per capita income approximated 1,568 yuan, a 9.3% increase over 2000.
3. Studies on high-tech development, integration and industrialization. Such studies are to cater to the demand for high technology in the national campaign for the development of Western China. By taking advantage of the strong points in the related disciplines enjoyed by CAS, research forces were organized to develop, integrate, demonstrate and popularize high technology in Western China, forming a support system for high-tech industries. With its initiation, many projects were put into operation, such as the research and development of natural drugs with China's own intellectual property rights, study of the interaction between the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and permafrost soil and its environmental effects, and the development and utilization of the salt-lake resources in Qinghai Province, resulting in encouraging socio-economic returns.
III. Buildup of an S&T Contingent
A program called "Light in Western China" has been established by CAS for training talented people in the current campaign for the development in the region. By last October, the Academy had funded 117 research groups in this aspect. With the investment of some 15 million yuan, a contingent of 1,000 young researchers was formed. With the support of the program, a number of encouraging results have been attained. For example, a research team headed by Li Yonghua at the Qinghai Salt Lakes Institute, succeeded in separating Mg and Li from the brine with a high magnesium content from the East Taijnar Salt Lake, and this contributed to solving the problem of lithium extraction from brine. It is expected that after the completion of a workshop for manufacturing 50 tons of lithium carbonate each year, the output value will be 1.25 million yuan, including 620,000 yuan in pre-tax profit. In the second-stage construction, the lithium carbonate output will be 2,000 tons per year, and some accessory works for producing lithium sulphate and boron acid will be completed. The yearly output value will reach 120 million yuan, including 50 million yuan in pre-tax profit. The envisaged success will be a prelude to large-scale development of the rich deposits of lithium in the salt lake. Another success was scored by a research team headed by Liu Zhimin from the Lanzhou Institute of Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research. The team's studies on the comprehensive harnessing of desolate land in Xigaze in the Tibet Autonomous Region, won a top prize among Tibet's Awards for S&T Progress. A research team headed by Zhang Huaigang from the Xining Institute of Northwest Plateau Biology in Qinghai Province achieved success in breeding top-quality wheat strains, including Gaoyuan-603, which is accepted and welcomed by local farmers, as they have planted it on up to 153 hectares. Another trail-blazer in breeding improved strains, Li Wenjian with the Lanzhou Institute of Modern Physics has done a good job of heavy ion-induced mutagenic cultivation of improved varieties of wheat. Nine of his mutant series with outstanding characteristics participated in the 1999 strain-appraisal tests in Gansu Province, averaging more than 6.6 tons per hectare in mean yield, a 27--36% increase in comparison with the matched group of Zhangchun No.14. Besides the high yield, the mutant varieties are noted for their resistance to lodging, draught and dry heat wind. Among the varieties, No.902 scored 9.9 tons in yield per hectare at the 2001 Gansu strain-appraisal tests, averaging 200 kilograms more than its corresponding strain of No.602 and ranking first among the 13 series participating in the appraisal. In the coming years, the project will expand its funding coverage and increase its support for single-item projects. At the same time, it will intensify its financing work for a graduate program, including skill enhancement for trainees, the institution of more post-doctoral stations in western China and recruiting more domestic doctorate students to work at the stations. In addition, all CAS-hosted skill-training programs will offer more preferential treatment to research institutes in western China. By 2010, it is expected that a contingent of research innovation workers with high competence will come into being, with young and middle-aged S&T workers as its main R&D force deeply rooted in the Chinese hinterland. Such a contingent will be the vanguard for developing the natural endowment of western China.
IV. Giving full play to Academic Divisions, and offering consultancy service to the government
The CAS Academic Divisions have always deemed that key S&T problems concerning national development constitute the primary task in their consultancy service. In recent years, they have shifted the focus of their consultancy work to the strategic research into sustainable development in western China and succeeded in completing a series of important advisory reports, which have been highly praised by the State leadership and related government departments. At the same time as the Academy was conducting the deployment of S&T activities concentrating on the strategic development of western China, the Academic Divisions drew up "An Initial Plan for Consultancy Service for Western China's Eco-environment and Sustainable Development" in a bid to provide top-quality advice.
In order to carry out monographic research on some selected topics within a unified plan, CAS members and relevant scientists have been organized into four consultancy projects concerning ecological construction in Western China. The first is a project hosted by Profs. Liu Dongsheng and An Zhisheng, both CAS members, on some key eco-environmental problems on the Loess Plateau; the second is a project headed by Prof. Sun Honglie, also a CAS member, on some key eco-environmental problems on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The other two projects are headed by two CAS members -- Profs. Yuan Daoxian and Zhang Xinshi, respectively, and are geared to the exploration of some key eco-environmental problems in the karst areas of southwest China and arid areas in northwest China. In addition, the Academic Divisions have jointly submitted a consultancy report to the central government under the title, "Some Suggestions for Accelerated Development in Tibet."
To sum up, the two-year initiation of the CAS Action Plan for Western China's Development so far has achieved remarkable results and played an important role in the national campaign to exploit the natural endowments of the Chinese hinterland. In the integration of the all-round advancement of the KIP, CAS work in the next stage is to build up new R&D bases in western China, which will be located in areas of great scientific significance in line with the urgent national needs. Furthermore, a group of new projects at different levels of importance and urgency will be initiated and both the related policies and financial input will be strengthened for the cultivation and recruitment of more qualified personnel. At the same time, trans-departmental cooperation and coordination will be enhanced between the concerned commissions and departments under the State Council and provincial, municipal and regional authorities in western China. In this way, the CAS-sponsored R&D projects will be integrated with national and regional engineering projects in western China and they will play a critical role as the primary production forces to the utmost, resulting in commercialization of the R&D findings and making bigger and more contributions to the reconstruction of China's West.
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