CHINA. Gansu Province. Dunhuang. A young girl runs down a sand dune encroaching on local farmland, near the tourist attraction of Ming Sha Shan. Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. 41 % of China's landmass in classified as arid or desert. Innapropriate farming methods and overcultivation have contributed to the spreading of deserts in China in recent years. The desert has even encroached upon the capital, Beijing, which is bombarded by sandstorms each spring.
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