This week, Earth report travels to Alashan in the Mongolian Autonomous Region of China where the traditional grassland ecosystem is being eaten away by the desert.

Every year more than 1000 square kilometres of steppe disappears under the sand. Now experts are working together to find the cause of this desertification and ways with which to lessen the impact of the local population on this fragile ecosystem.

Water, water everywhere

Just 50 years ago water flowed through the plain of Alashan. 50 springs, 800 lakes and 3 rivers kept the steppe green and fertile - fed by rain falling over the He Lan mountain range.

But since 1950 the situation has completely changed. All the springs and rivers are dry and 600 of the 800 small lakes have disappeared. During this time, the pace of desertification has increased by almost 100%.

What caused such a huge change in so short a time?

Bone dry

Since the 1950's the population of Bayan Hot - the capital of Alashan - has increased dramatically and so too has the pressure on land and water resources. Deforestation, excessive grazing and poor management of water reserves have left the steppe with little natural cover and an inadequate water supply.

Only one large aquifer remains, holding an estimated 2.7 million cubic metres of fresh water.

In order to limit dependence on underground supplies and allow the aquifers to recover, a pipeline is being built to deliver water directly from the mountains to the city. But this alone won't reverse the trend of desertification.

Grazing to death

Almost all the people of Alashan are dependent on goat herding - one of the main causes of desertification - for their livelihood. And as the desert moves in, life as a herder is becoming harder and harder.

In a bid to save the steppe, the Chinese government is relocating families to controversial 'development areas'. Here, herders must give up their traditional lifestyle in favour of farming in exchange for land, water, electricity and other basic services.

Development areas?

The promise of land, small loans and infrastructure, can be appealing for newcomers, when compared to the harsh life on the edge of the desert. And there's better access to employment and education.

In the Luan Jing Tan development area water is pumped from the Yellow River 70 kilometres away to provide irrigation but this puts additional strain on scarce water supplies. Although water usage is strictly measured, the long-term sustainability of these methods is a very much a matter of debate.

Homes for all

Most people arrive at development areas having lost everything to the desert. So international development agencies are helping to provide housing for those who need it most.

The Kadoorie Foundation, funded by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, provides new homes for environmental refugees.

Built from straw, these homes are low-cost, environmentally sensitive, recyclable and highly insulative - cutting the usage of fuel by around 50%. What's more, building these homes provides extra employment in the region.

Making the desert bloom

The Cha Ha Er Tan Development Area, started in the 1970s, shows the ability and determination of the Chinese to create habitable manmade oases in the desert steppe. Here, 2,600 people have transformed the sparse steppe vegetation almost beyond recognition.

Tree barriers protect farmland from sandstorms and irrigation systems bring life back to the desert.

But analysts have begun to question the long-term value of large-scale tree planting on the grasslands as a magic bullet against desertification.

Living within limits

Experts are beginning to agree that understanding the causes of desertification is preferable to imposing unsustainable large-scale agriculture, designed for more temperate regions, onto this fragile ecosystem.

The harsh climate and fragile soils set a natural limit on the lifestyles of traditional people who live and herd on the grassland. By adapting to a semi-nomadic existence, moving their homes and their herds when necessary, traditional pastoral use of the grassland is sustainable because the grasses are given time to regenerate.

But if destructive herding is to be phased out then herders will require education to qualify for more demanding work. This is especially important for the children who will ultimately determine its future.

The Chinese Government, with the support of the Asian Development Bank, the 'Global Environment Facility' and numerous implementation partners are all focusing on this issue and developing a program approach for sustainable land management in semi-arid and arid areas. Recent research on new development methods is helping to create a more effective framework for controlling desertification.

It's hoped that in ten years the Chinese government will focus on policy levers rather than on infrastructure and large reforestation programmes in order to save the steppe.

So far...yet so near

Although far from most people's experience, Alashan is important to humanity. If we fail to protect remote endangered ecosystems, then we will surely see the signs of collapse much closer to home - making Alashan a very important 'line in the sand'.