Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is an important ecological screen for the north of China and even the whole country. Building a green great wall to ensure China’s ecological security is one of the most important things of autonomous region.

The largest ecological function zone in the north of China, Inner Mongolia has a variety of landscapes, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers and lakes. In recent years, the region’s environment has improved, with its forest and grassland area having increased and desert reduced.

However, it still faces a number of challenges in ecological preservation. For instance, the region faces severe water shortages with the number of lakes dropping from 427 in 1987 to 145 in 2010. In addition to a lack of rainfall, huge water consumption in agricultural and industrial production has worsened the water shortage. Too much use of fertilizers has damaged the soil and affected the growth of grass, accelerating the expansion of the desert, which results from a lack of water.

The local government encourages planting trees on grassland as they can get more pay for trees than by growing grass. However, the trees they plant often have a low survival rate as they have a high water consumption rate. Also, to treat wetlands, some areas have planted a large number of a single tree species. This practice may damage biodiversity (生物多样性) and endanger the survival of certain animals.

Experts suggest taking the region’s water resources and weather conditions into consideration in future ecological projects.

While diving in the Mediterranean with his daughters, Enzo was in the water preparing to dive. He felt a gentle push on his back and turned to see a male dolphin waving to him. The dolphin dove, and Enzo followed. About 12 meters down, Enzo was led to the dolphin’s mate, who had become trapped in a fishing net and would soon drown. Enzo quickly surfaced and returned with his daughters and a couple of diving knives. They freed the dolphin and helped her to the surface.

Although Enzo held several free-diving records, it was the lives of sea creatures that concerned him most. Enzo devoted his life to educating the world about the link between healthy seas and healthy humans. He often quoted words of a famous musician named Vangelis: “Until a man learns to respect and speak to the animal world, he can never know his true role on Earth.”

Enzo recalls of his dolphin rescue, “As soon as she (the dolphin) was on the surface, after breathing out foam and blood, she gave birth to a dolphin calf (幼崽) under the watchful eyes of her mate.”

Enzo and his daughters marveled (感到惊奇) at the miracle they had just witnessed. While they were still in the water, the male dolphin circled around and touched its beak (喙) to Enzo’s cheek, like a kiss of gratitude.

The world is full of opportunities that lead to miracles if we only follow those pushes. Next door is a neighbor who needs a smile and a conversation, a child who needs a little comfort, or a young mom who just witnessed her own miracle and would love to share it with you.

Federal scientists have started testing migratory birds (候鸟) for signs of a dangerous bird flu that could show up on this continent this spring.

The testing of shorebirds began Wednesday at an Anchorage coastal wildlife refuge (藏身处), said Bruce Woods, spokesman with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

It is the first sampling of a summer-long project to swab (用拭子取液体) birds for bird flu throughout the state. Nationwide, the goal is to sample 75,000 to 100,000 wild birds. In Alaska, about $ 4 million in federal money will be paid to study about 15, 000 birds, Woods said.

“We had some success in catching some of the target species,” Woods said Thursday.

More than 40 species of waterfowl and shorebirds are considered susceptible to infection by a highly pathogenic (致病的) H5N1 bird flu virus that’s killed more than 100 people, in other parts of the world, mostly in Asia.

Scientists will only test birds in the Anchorage area through early next week. “In this location, it’s very brief. Birds go through and they’re gone,” he said.

To screen the birds for the deadly virus, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska’s Fish and Game Department also are setting up more than 50 remote backcountry camps accessible mainly by float planes or boats.

Many birds will be tested and released, while others killed during seasonal hunts will be tested after they have died.

Alaska is an ideal bird flu laboratory because it’s at the crossroads of migratory pathways for birds flying between the United States and other countries. Some of these birds arrive in Alaska each year from Asia, reports AP.