三北防护林：人与沙的进退战

我，是三北土地上的一粒沙。

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

三北在哪里？三北是西北、华北及东北的统称。四十多年来，在这片土地上，人与沙的抗争从未停止过，从沙进人退，到人进沙退，人们与我们斗智斗勇，最终筑起了一道“绿色长城”，称之为“三北防护林”。

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”.

上世纪60年代到70年代末，三北土地上有约670万公顷的沙化面积，八大沙漠、四大沙地以及广袤无垠的大戈壁，到处都是我的兄弟姐妹。自东向西，万里风沙线从黑龙江一路狂奔直至新疆，吞噬着人们的生活，漫天席卷庄稼河流，所到之处必成土地沙漠。频起的沙尘暴，是我们向人类的公开宣战，我们在一次又一次的斗争中胜利，也享受着这场暴虐带来的快感。

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.

终于，人们忍无可忍，改革开放初期，开始实施建设三北防护林，这是中国第一个重大生态工程，也是世界最大的生态建设工程。

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.

计划历时73年，横跨“三北”，涉及中国北方13个省、自治区、直辖市；

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

工程区面积406.9万平方公里,占中国陆地面积的42.4%；

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

2014年以来,工程区内年均沙尘暴天数从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.

从1978年到2050年，三北防护林分三个阶段、七期工程进行。

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

2020年,三北防护林第五期工程体系即将完成。40多年来累计造林超4.5亿亩，累计治理沙化土地33.6万平方公里。

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.

实现了“沙进人退”到“绿进沙退”的历史性转变。

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

2050年,在规划目标上,预计造林面积达5.35亿亩,三北地区森林覆盖率由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%.

一开始，我们并没有把这些放在眼里，以为这是一场徒劳的反抗，然而，40年过去了，我的兄弟姐妹越来越少，沙化面积逐年缩小，取而代之的是苍茫的绿意。

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.

三北土地广袤无垠、资源丰富，曾几何时，我们只是生态系统中普普通通的一粒沙。农耕文明刺激人口急剧增长，人类对资源掠夺式的开发，加之不断的战乱和气候变化等因素，给了我们可乘之机。正当我们“意气风发”之时，涌现了大批挥锨种树的身影，由点到面，星星点点汇聚成一条绿色的万里长城。如今，人们植树造林的脚步依然没有停歇。

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.

人与沙的“进退战”，看似是一场势均力敌的“较量”，但事实上，人与沙、沙与绿，从来不是对立的，而是共生的。自然法则中，只有在生态平衡中找准各自的位置，才能实现绿水青山就是金山银山的美好愿景。

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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