As the Autumn Equinox arrives, over 3,000 mu of artificial grass planting bases in Rongbu Town, Sog County, Nagqu City, have ushered in a full harvest. Looking out, the continuous oat grass and wildrye are thriving, with harvesters and balers roaring back and forth across the pastures.

No one could have imagined that this lush green pasture was once a barren sandy wasteland ravaged by wind and sand.

Rongbu Town is located in a key ecological functional zone in the upper reaches of the Nujiang River, with an average altitude of over 4,000 meters and a very fragile ecological environment. In the past, the land here suffered from severe desertification, frequent pika disasters, insufficient carrying capacity of natural pastures, prominent forage-livestock conflicts, and single income channels for local residents. For a long time, balancing ecological protection and industrial development was a major challenge facing the local area.

How to crack the plateau ecological governance dilemma and broaden the income-increasing paths for the masses? Since 2016, relying on policy support from the city and county, Rongbu Town has vigorously promoted artificial grass planting ecological governance projects. It has selected cold-resistant and high-yield oat grass and wildrye varieties tailored to local conditions, and carried out systematic improvement and restoration of degraded and desertified land.

Staff from the project's operating enterprise introduced that the scientific mixed planting of the two grass species not only realizes large-scale and efficient forage production, but also continuously stabilizes sandy soil, restores surface vegetation, fundamentally curbs land desertification, eases the grazing pressure on natural pastures, and effectively balances the relationship between ecological protection and animal husbandry development.

After years of scientific management and large-scale cultivation, the former desert tidal flat has been transformed into a high-yield ecological pasture, with the ecological governance effects continuously emerging. Today in Rongbu Town, the vegetation coverage of pastures has been greatly improved, the grazing pressure on natural pastures has been effectively alleviated, and the plateau ecological barrier is more solid.

While the ecological quality is improving, the green industry continues to release benefits to enrich the people. Rongbu Town has innovatively explored a development model of "overall planning by the town Party committee + operation by enterprises + supervision by village 'two committees' + labor input by the masses + linkage by cooperatives", building a diversified, stable and long-term income-increasing system for residents. This industrial project directly covers more than 1,300 people in 4 administrative villages, and radiates and drives more than 9,700 people in 23 administrative villages across the town to achieve stable income growth, effectively consolidating the foundation for rural revitalization.

Data is the most powerful proof: the artificial grass planting industry in Rongbu Town has an average annual revenue of over 3.6 million yuan, with a net profit of over 1.6 million yuan. It stably drives 23 long-term jobs and more than 1,200 short-term labor jobs per year. Up to now, it has distributed a total of 7.7243 million yuan in collective economic dividends to the masses.

The once desertified barren beach is now covered with continuous greenery. Rongbu Town empowers industrial development through ecological governance, and drives people's income growth through industrial development, painting a new picture of rural revitalization on the snowy plateau featuring beautiful ecology, prosperous industries and well-off residents.

Reporter: Wang Chun, Xizang Daily

Translator: Peng Qing, Zhi Xinghua

Reviewer: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen