Government assistance

Over the past two decades, the central and local governments have provided many millions of yuan to help solve the county's issues.

In 2000, Xi Jinping, then deputy secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and acting governor of the province, approved the allocation of special funds－10 million yuan annually for eight consecutive years－to alleviate Changting's problems.

The money was used to provide direct treatment for the problems as well as pay subsidies to the farmers.

Shen Tengxiang, former Party chief of the county's Nankeng village, said the villagers felled trees for firewood around 2000, which contributed to deforestation and further soil loss.

However, local government subsidies helped them buy coal, which greatly eased the situation.

"We also introduced a rule that anyone who felled trees would be punished by having their pigs－a family's major source of income－killed and the meat handed out to other villagers free of charge," she said.

"The problem had not been solved at the roots, though, so we needed to heal the infertile land and develop agriculture."

To encourage the villagers to plant ginkgo trees, she planted them on her own land first. Having achieved good results, she then led the way in the cultivation of strawberries and construction of tourism facilities.

Last year, Nankeng's per capita income rose to 21,300 yuan, from 600 yuan in 1996.

By the end of last year, only about 21,000 hectares in Changting still had soil erosion problems, a decline of about 78 percent, according to the local government.

Cao Wenhong, chief engineer at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research who studies soil and water conservation, said Changting has succeeded in protecting the environment and creating wealth for its residents.

"Changting's approach to treating soil erosion can act as a model both at home and abroad, not only because of the techniques used but also governance measures," he said.

"Water loss and soil erosion are problems that can only be solved by long-term efforts," he added.

"Thanks to the central and local governments and people's dedication to improving the land, they were able to work together to eradicate the problems."

Chen Ye contributed to this story.