12/26/2024
Recently, a friend of mine traveled to South America. While browsing Brazilian websites out of curiosity, I stumbled upon an article that immediately caught my attention. It connected two topics I’ve been exploring lately: desert management and poverty alleviation in China.
The article reported: "Discover how China used rabbits in the Chinese desert to reverse desertification and thrive. ... China surprised the world by transforming the Dalad Banner (达拉特旗, Dá Lā Tè Qí) desert into a lush green oasis. How? By releasing 1.2 million rabbits into the desert!"
At first, I could hardly believe it. I had never heard of this story before. Intrigued, I researched further and confirmed every detail. Surprisingly, while it isn’t widely known outside China, it’s far from new. Here’s the story:
Zhao Yongliang, a native of Dalad Banner in Inner Mongolia, had long dreamed of tackling the desertification that plagued his hometown. He initially experimented with planting sand willow trees but faced numerous challenges. Then, he stumbled upon a remarkable discovery.
In one area, the survival rate of trees soared to 95%, sharply contrasting with the barren sands nearby. Zhao investigated and found that otter rabbits were unusually active in this patch of land.
After further observation, Zhao uncovered an incredible phenomenon. Otter rabbits dig for grass roots and feed on dry grass. In the process, they naturally loosen and aerate the sandy soil, revitalizing its structure. A natural soil-loosening machine! This activity, combined with the rabbits’ droppings and urine, enriches the soil with organic matter, transforming it from barren sand into fertile ground.
Traditional desert management methods couldn’t achieve this kind of soil improvement. Inspired, Zhao and his team developed the idea of raising otter rabbits on a large scale. The sand willows provided food for the rabbits, and the rabbits, in turn, helped improve the soil. This led to the establishment of China’s largest otter rabbit breeding facility in the Kubuqi Desert.
The Unique Value of Otter Rabbits
Otter rabbits, also known as rex rabbits, are exceptionally versatile and highly fertile. The arid climate of the desert is ideal for their growth, and those raised in the Kubuqi Desert produce even higher-quality fur. Beyond their ecological contributions, the rabbits offer significant economic benefits:
1. Luxury Fur: Their fur is used to make high-end garments.
2. Food Products: Their meat is processed into premium food items.
3. Biological Products: Their blood is used in creating biomedicine.
4. Surgical Sutures: Their intestines are turned into surgical threads.
5. Pharmaceuticals: Their organs are utilized in drug production.
6. Fertilizer: Their manure serves as an organic fertilizer, ideal for turning deserts into fertile land and cultivating mushrooms.
Impact on Desertification and Poverty
To date, over 8 million rex rabbits have been introduced into the heart of the Kubuqi Desert, significantly enhancing reforestation efforts. The initiative achieved a tree survival rate of 95%, a staggering success in such an arid environment.
This project has had a dual impact:
1. Poverty Elimination: It has lifted 20,000 farmers out of poverty.
2. Environmental Restoration: It has transformed vast desert expanses into fertile oases.
By February 26, 2013, the story had been featured in major Chinese media, highlighting the striking contrast created by this initiative. On one side of the desert lies a sea of sand dunes; on the other, a lush oasis spanning tens of thousands of hectares.
China’s innovative use of otter rabbits demonstrates how ecological restoration and poverty alleviation can go hand in hand, offering valuable lessons for combating poverty and desertification worldwide.