Climate change, humans endanger historic Silk Road stop

BEIJING (AFP) - China's historic Silk Road city of Dunhuang and its archaeological treasures are under threat from the effects of climate change, human activity and mismanagement, state media reported on Sunday.

The oasis city, home to the UN World Heritage-listed Mogao Grottoes, has recently seen rivers run dry, vegetation die off, underground water levels fall sharply and sand storms increase, Xinhua news agency said.

Dunhuang was an important stop on the Silk Road, while the grottoes -- also called the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas -- house one of the world's most extensive and historic Buddhist temple complexes, stretching back more than 1,500 years.

But population pressures, haphazard development and a changing climate now "threaten the cultural relics and local scenery", Xinhua quoted an unnamed official with the national environment watchdog as saying.