---- Blick auf die Mogao Grotten oder Mogao Grotten in Dunhuang, Nordwestchina Provinz Gansu, 14. Februar 2013. Der renommierte Mogao Grotten, die von der UNESCO zum
--FILE--View of Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest Chinas Gansu province, 14 February 2013. The renowned Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwest China's Gansu province, have been protected from sand erosion and encroaching desert following 70 years of continuous effort, the site's administration said on Monday (1 September 2014). Wang Wanfu, deputy director of the Relics Preservation Research Institute under the Dunhuang Academy, which administers the site, said that a combined system consisting of barriers, sand and plant belts, patches of grass and gravel have been installed to ward off erosion. The accumulated sand in the grottoes today has been reduced by more than 85% from the amount reported in the 1980s, according to Wang. Damage to murals and colored sculptures in the grottoes has been minimized and the environment around the grottoes has been improved due to sand control projects, he said.
