BEIJING, July 25 -- An important water source for the Yellow river is turning in to desert.

    The Maqu county government said Thursday that ninety percent or 747,000 hectares of grassland in county is exeriencing dersertification.

    The total area, which is in northwest China's Gansu province is 858,000 hectares.

    The government says overgrazing by cattle, deforestation and global warming are the reasons the pasture land is turing to sand.

    Soundbite: Yang Linping, Deputy Director of Husbandry and Forestry Bureau Now the desertification area speeds up 200 hectares per year.”

    The grassland is important because forty-five percent of the overall volume of the Yellow River comes from this area.

    The Chinese call it “the kidney of the earth.

    On December 4, 2007, the Chinese government allocated 443 million U.S. dollars to help stop desertification. The money will be used relocate herders and livestock. It was also go towards environmental education campaigns.

    Since the grassland began to turn to sand in the early 1980's, the Maqu county government says more than 2,500 herdsmen and 168,000 livestock have moved elsewhere.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Maqu.