13. Dec 2009
306,000 Tibetans in 46 counties lose land to China's reforestation projects
(Xinhua) Beijing claims that it has turned 16,666 hectares of cultivated land in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) into forests and pastures, "benefiting" 306,000 rural residents in 46 counties. The drive, 'tuigeng huanlin' – Grain for Green, which, according to Xinhua, was implemented over the period from early 2002 to November 2009, rewarded farmers for planting seedlings on hitherto cultivated areas with cash or grain donations in order to reduce erosion and re-vegetate the rivers' catchments areas. Independent experts with experience in the region widely regard the environmental benefits of the Beijing-drafted campaign as questionable and its effect on local development doubtful.