Fig.1 Location of Maqu County

Fig.2 Picture of polylacticacid sand barriers in the field of Maqu

Fig.3 Picture of accelerated aging test of polylacticacid sand barriers in laboratory

Fig.4 Tensile strength test of polylacticacid sand barriers

Fig.5 Photos of sand collectors with eight directions installed on the shifting sand dune (A) and inside the sand-protecting barriers (B)

Fig.6 The aging curve of polylacticacid sand barriers in the field of Maqu

Fig.7 The strength retention rate of polylacticacid sand barriers during the accelerated aging test in laboratory

Fig.8 The surface structure of the polylacticacid sand barrier in the field of Maqu scanned by electron microscope

Fig.9 The surface structure of the initial polylacticacid sand barrier scanned by electron microscope

Fig.10 Sand flux on the shifting sand dune and inside the sand-protecting barriers from September 2018 to May 2019

Fig.11 Percentage of the sand flux at each height inside and outside of the sand barriers

Fig.12 Plant survival rate and plant height at different locations of the dune

Fig.13 The sand fixation effectiveness of polylacticacid sand barriers