Naer Batu is also a beneficiary of the SEE. He now cooks on a new, more efficient stove.

Naer Batu said, "By using the new stove, we can save on saxaul firewood by almost half. We used to use one such basin of saxaul firewood to cook one meal. But now we can cook three meals with the same amount."

But fighting desertification is just one of many environmental challenges that China faces. And as conservation awareness rises, so are efforts.

In the Xiao Xing'an Mountains in Northeast China, excessive deforestation over the past decades has reduced forest resources by more than half. The local government is aiming at a comprehensive halt to logging, even if that means lower revenues.

Xu Zhaojun, Municipal Party Secretary of Yichun of Heilongjiang Province, said, "The methodology of scientific and sustainable development shouldn't be lip service. We need to log less and plant more to achieve a sustainable utilization of the forest."

And shrinking forests mean the loss of habitats of many animals. Manchurian tigers are on the brink of extinction. The 10 thousand big cats living in the wild number fewer than 20 today.

Dr. John MacKinnon from the EU-China Biodiversity program believes China still needs to do more to turn around the situation.

Reporter Liu Ying said, "From desertification and shrinking forests to decline in bio-diversity, I have seen much of the impact of environmental degradation during my journey. And when the environment suffers, so do the people. More and more people have realized that China's economic development and prosperity should not be achieved by sacrificing the environment. The battle to protect will be long and difficult. But it's the only way to sustainable development, both for the country and its people."

(CCTV September 25, 2009)