Chinese official new --- Xinhua Network Inner Mongolia Channel reports

English translation by Dugar Gyab 

[ Xin Hua News, June 13, 2002 ] Forest police branches in all banners, counties and cities of Shilin'gol League are sending out police to enforce prohibition of herding in all temporarily prohibited or no-herding areas, fallow lands and forest recovery project areas, and sand-source

control project areas. They are achieving noticeable results with this action.

As the climate is becoming warmer and grasses start growing, the vegetation in the prohibited areas is also gradually recovering and putting forth buds. Some farmers and herders only care about their immediate interests, and surreptitiously put their herds into these areas. This has caused serious damage to the newly gained result of ecological construction.

Forest police units in different levels of Shilin'gol League carried on a special reorganizing of these major project areas such as fallow lands and forest recovery and sand-source control all over the league. Within the period and areas of temporary prohibition or no-herding, they fixed the responsibility on every local forest police station, aroused the enthusiasm of cadres and policemen. Severe strikes were made against the cases of herds damaging forests and prohibited areas, and noticable results were gained. Up to 3 June, the forest police in Shuluun Khokh Banner investigated and handled 443 cases of illegal herding in total. They captured 420 cattle, 124 horses, 1500 sheep, 4 camels, 5 donkeys, and placed total fines of 17,300 yuan. Khuveet Shar Banner forest police have sent out police forces 260 person-time, and police vehicles 86 vehicle-time. They gave warnings to 60 persons, yellow warnings to 20 persons, and circulated notices about and publicly warned on 1 person. They captured 16 cattle and 48 sheep, confiscated 8 sheep, and placed fines of 2050 yuan. Sunid Right Banner forest police have sent out police forces 72 man-time, covered over 1,000 kilometers, and patrolled through the no-herding and temporarily prohibited areas to handle seven cases of illegal herding. Shilinhot City forest police, along with the Grassland Inspection Station of the city, Municipal Sumu and Dabshiltu Sumu, signed responsibility agreements with sand-source control project areas and nearby herders. They requested the herders not to keep their herds within the prohibited areas, and also to stop other herders from doing so.

Forest police branches in all levels of Shilin'gol League, while they actively carried out a reorganization of all major project areas, also widely propagated the importance and urgency of encircling and sealing off grasslands, and prohibition of herding. Through circulating propaganda materials such as "Notice of Temporary Prohibition and Prohibition of Herding" and "Announcement of Temporary Prohibition and Prohibition of Herding", as well as carrying out propaganda campaigns in the form of television news and so on, they helped the farmer and herder public to realize the significance of forest protection, and improved their understanding of temporary prohibition and prohibition of herding in the level of thoughts.