三北防護林：人與沙的進退戰

我，是三北土地上的一粒沙。

I am the sand on the land of Three-North.

三北在哪？三北是西北、華北及東北的統稱。四十多年來，在這片土地上，人與沙的抗爭從未停止過，從沙進人退，到人進沙退，人們與我們鬥智鬥勇，最終築起了一道“綠色長城”，稱之為“三北防護林”。

What is Three North? Three-North is a reference to Northwest, North and Northeast China. Over the past 40 years, people have been interlocked in a battle against sand on this land. Relief finally came when the “Green Great Wall” was built, also referred to as the “Three- North Shelterbelt”.

上世紀60年代到70年代末，三北土地上有約670萬公頃的沙化面積，八大沙漠、四大沙地以及廣袤無垠的大戈壁，到處都是我的兄弟姐妹。自東向西，萬里風沙線從黑龍江一路狂奔直至新疆，吞噬著人們的生活，漫天席捲莊稼河流，所到之處必成土地沙漠。頻起的沙塵暴，是我們向人類的公開宣戰，我們在一次又一次的鬥爭中勝利，也享受著這場暴虐帶來的快感。

From the 1960s to the end of the 1970s, there were about 6.7 million hectares of desertified land in the Three-Northern regions. There were eight deserts, four types of sand and the vast Gobi. My brothers and sisters were spread everywhere. From the east to the west, the wind sand line ran from Heilongjiang to Xinjiang, swallowing people’s lives, sweeping over crops and rivers and in the sky. The frequent sandstorms are an open declaration of war against mankind. We have won in the struggle again and again, and we also enjoy the pleasure brought by this tyranny.

終於，人們忍無可忍，改革開放初期，開始實施建設三北防護林，這是中國第一個重大生態工程，也是世界最大的生態建設工程。

Finally, people could not bear it. At the beginning of reforms and opening-up, the construction of Three North Shelterbelts was started. This is the first major ecological project in China and the largest ecological construction project in the world.

計劃歷時73年，橫跨“三北”，涉及中國北方13個省、自治區、直轄市；

The plan is to last 73 years and cover 13 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.

工程區面積406.9萬平方公里,佔中國陸地面積的42.4%；

 The project area is 4.069 million square kilometers, accounting for 42.4% of China’s land area;

2014年以來,工程區內年均沙塵暴天數從6.8天下降到2.4天。

 Since 2014, the average annual sandstorm days in the project area have decreased from 6.8 days to 2.4 days.

從1978年到2050年，三北防護林分三個階段、七期工程進行。

 From 1978 to 2050, the Three-North Shelterbelt Project is to be carried out in three stages and seven phases.

2020年,三北防護林第五期工程體系即將完成。40多年來累計造林超4.5億畝，累計治理沙化土地33.6萬平方公里。

In 2020, the fifth phase of the Three-North Shelterbelt Project system will be completed. Over the past 40 years, more than 30 million hectares of trees have been planted and 336,000 square kilometers of desertified land have been controlled.

實現了“沙進人退”到“綠進沙退”的歷史性轉變。

The historic transformation from “sand forcing humans to retreat” to “trees forcing sand to retreat” has been achieved.

2050年,在規劃目標上,預計造林面積達5.35億畝,三北地區森林覆蓋率由5.05%提高到15.95%。

 In 2050, it is estimated that the afforestation area will reach 35,7 million hectares and the forest coverage rate in the three-north areas will increase from 5.05% to 15.95%.

一開始，我們並沒有把這些放在眼裏，以為這是一場徒勞的反抗，然而，40年過去了，我的兄弟姐妹越來越少，沙化面積逐年縮小，取而代之的是蒼茫的綠意。

At first, we didn't pay attention to them, thinking that it was a futile resistance. However, 40 years later, I have lost many of my brothers and sisters and the desertification area is shrinking year by year, replaced with the lush greenery.

三北土地廣袤無垠、資源豐富，曾幾何時，我們只是生態系統中普普通通的一粒沙。農耕文明刺激人口急劇增長，人類對資源掠奪式的開發，加之不斷的戰亂和氣候變化等因素，給了我們可乘之機。正當我們“意氣風發”之時，涌現了大批揮锨種樹的身影，由點到面，星星點點匯聚成一條綠色的萬里長城。如今，人們植樹造林的腳步依然沒有停歇。

The land of the Three-North regions is vast and rich in resources. Once upon a time, we were just common sand in the ecosystem. Agricultural civilization led to a population boom. The plundering humans who fought one war after the other and climate change gave us opportunities to thrive. Just when we were “high spirited” and enjoying our success, a large number of trees have sprung up threatening us. A green Great Wall has been formed. Afforestation has continued at a rapid pace.

人與沙的“進退戰”，看似是一場勢均力敵的“較量”，但事實上，人與沙、沙與綠，從來不是對立的，而是共生的。自然法則中，只有在生態平衡中找準各自的位置，才能實現綠水青山就是金山銀山的美好願景。

The “advance and retreat war” between man and sand seems to be a “contest” between two mighty opponents. But man and sand, sand and greenery are never antagonistic, but symbiotic. In the law of nature, it is only by finding their respective positions in the ecological balance that we can realize the treasure of green waters and green peaks.

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