A: The ecological environment construction project in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River with a total planned investment of 7.22 billion yuan, has embarked on harnessing desertification. While its main focus is on protecting the mountain shrubwood on both sides of the river, the project also includes planting 352,000 hectares of trees and grass along the river valley. According to the progress of the first-stage work, the ecological environment construction program in Jomda, Gonjo, and Markam counties on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, with a total planned investment of 1.42 billion yuan, has started the natural forest protection project. Apart from prohibiting the felling of natural forest, the authorities concerned will also give priority to planting trees and closing hillsides to facilitate afforestation within the project area, while at the same time accelerating the afforestation of barren land and mountains and strengthening the infrastructure construction for ecological environment protection.