The Environment of Ningxia

　　Climate
　　Located inland, Ningxia is typical of a temperate zone continental climate region. The summer is short and dry because of the southeast monsoon, while winter is long and has a changeable temperature because of the northwest monsoon. Humid and rainy most time, the mountain region is colder than other places, especially in summer, and has a short frost-free period; in the north, evaporation is heavy because of much sunlight and there is less precipitation and big difference in temperatures of day and night. There is an old saying, “wearing fur in the morning and silk at noon; eating water melons around a stove”, describing the climatic features of autumn.
You can feel a distinct change of the four seasons and spring and autumn come earlier. With an average annual mean temperature of 5-9 degrees centigrade. Ningxia sees its hottest time in July and the coldest in January.
Richly endowed soil, developed agriculture and superior natural conditions have won a reputation of the “southern plain beyond the Great Wall” for Ningxia.




　　Biological Environment
　　Ningxia is surrounded by three big deserts. To its west, middle, and north is provisionally the Tengger Desert, part of the Mu Us Desert, and some sand lands that were formerly farming land. In controlling sands, Ningxia changed its former idea of pure biological construction. It combined sand control with expansion of living space. In controlling sands, the earth utilization structure was rationally readjusted. To improve plant distribution, 3.8 thousand hectares that had been cultivated too early were restored. The government also publicized highly efficient farming methods, and some advanced agricultural technologies, like stereoscopic culture and film covering culture, were introduced.
The success in controlling sands of Shapotou was called a “miracle”, arousing close attention of international environmental circles and drawing experts from many countries to inspect it. The United Nations has organized seminars on sand-control in Shapotou several times to introduce its experience. The fruit of sand-control in this region has won the special prize for scientific progress of the State and the sand-consolidation forest in Zhongwei was awarded recognition in the “the top 500” in environmental protection by UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program)



　　In the past two decades, Ningxia has continued carry out the afforestation program. Aimed to protect soil and conserve water sources, some important biological projects of forestry have been conducted in the mountain area of the south. The stable afforestation area each year amounts to 13.3 thousand hectares, making the total forest area of 190 thousand hectares and controlling 5,500 square kilometers of eroded soil.
After several decades of efforts, the forest area of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has increased from 68.7 thousand hectares in 1977 to the present 366,700 hectares, raising the forest coverage rate to 6.3 percent.
　　To protect the environment and to boost the sustainable development of the economy and society, the Ningxia Autonomous Government lays great emphasis on pollution control. The government demanded 13 units that had serious pollution problems to change their ways within a limited period. Also, regular tests and inspections on pollution control were organized by the government. The management of pollution of the environmental protection sectors was executed strictly according to the relative law.




　　The control of pollution has made the air quality of Ningxia much better than before. Now, some urban environment protection zones have been built, including a 94.63 square kilometer smoke and dust control zone and a 49.65 square kilometer noise control zone. The rate of the urban qualified drinking sources comes to 100 percent.