Abstract: Some issues concerning shifting sand stabilization at Zigaze of Tibet were discussed in this paper.The early experiments on the selection and planting techniques of sand binding plants suitable to Zigaze were conducted in 1995.Most of the plants introduced from inland China were proved to be unsuccessful ones at Zigaze,and mobility of sand and insufficiency of growing season were main factors responsible for the introduction failure.Atraphaxis bracteata and Artemisia sphaerocephala were the best sand binding plants among the introduced inland species.At Zigaze,seeds of Artemisia ordosica were not able to mature;accordingly Artemisia ordosica was not able to be the successor of the pioneering plants.Native species,Sophora moorcroftiana,had bad performance in germination in the sowing year,and its growth was also very slow,thus it is better to employ it as the successor of the pioneering sand binding plants.At Zigaze,the procedure to stabilize shifting sand effectively is as follows:under the protective measures(straw checkerboard barrier or gravel layer for covering shifting sand),exotic species such as Atraphaxis bracteata,Artemisia sphaerocephala and Artemisia ordosica,together with native species Sophora moorcroftiana,were sown or transplanted to stabilize the shifting sand.The expected results would be that after Atraphaxis bracteata and Artemisia sphaerocephala degenerated,Sophora moorcroftiana begin to exert the function of stabilizing the shifting sand,and furthermore,it can stabilize the shifting sand very long due to its adaptability to shifting sand and its long life span as the successor of the pioneering sand binding plants.The emphasis should be put on Artemisia and Caraganagenera when native sand binding plants are to be selected.

Key words: shifting sand stabilization, sand binding plants, exotic species, native species, Sophora moorcroftiana