Introduction and context: global biomass resources - Biomass as Energy Source: Resources, Systems and Applications - page 18

Figure 1.7. Forest in Southern China close to Guiling (photo E. Dahlquist).
There are already more than 22 million small-scale biogas plants producing 8.5 billion Nm 3 /y.
Medium and large scale biogas projects will increase from 3671 year 2007 producing 2 bil-
lion Nm 3 /y biogas to 44 billion m 3 by 2020 and 80 billion m 3 by 2030 (the figure in 2006 being
10 billion m 3 per year). This is according to professor Li Shi-Zhong at Tsinghua University ( pers.
commun . 2011). In addition, 39 million tonnes of bioethanol and 6 million tonnes of bio-diesel
was produced 2007.
China has about 120 million hectares of marginal lands and 40 million hectares of degraded
arable lands. Tuber crops have high biomass production yield (15-45 t/ha) and starch content
(20-33%). Cassava is a good crop in southern China as it is less sensitive to diseases and insects,
resistance to drought etc. Sweet potato can also be planted in poor soil. In Figure 1.7, we can
see an example of forestland typical of Guiling and in Figure 1.8 typical farmland for the cereal
production.
In Southern China we have some jungle forests (Fig. 1.9), especially at Hainan Island. Here also
bamboo is growing, which is a good source for building construction and many other applications.
Henan province is the cereal production center of China and in Figure 1.10, we see a typical
landscape with farmland and hills with some small forests in-between.
In Henan province and other agriculture areas buffalo are also seen frequently like in
Figure 1.11. Here we also see some sugar cane in the background.
Jungle areas were mentioned already earlier and in Figure 1.12, we can see another typical
jungle at southern Hainan Island. The jungle areas are dominated by trees of very many different
types, which gives a wide resource of genetically diverse species, but it is not easy to grow in the
same way as the monocultures seen in more tempered areas. When large areas are covered with
eucalyptus, oil palms and acacia instead, this diversification is lost, and we do not really know
how the forests will behave in the future.
Still, in Hainan and in many other areas in South and East Asia, forests are also kept as reserves
to keep the diversity for future generations. In the same areas where we have the tropical jungles