China has completed a 46-year campaign to enclose its largest desert with trees as part of national efforts to end desertification and curb sandstorms.
China’s Efforts to Combat Desertification
China has completed a 46-year campaign to encircle its largest desert with trees, as part of national efforts to end desertification and curb sandstorms that plague parts of the country.
The Three-North Shelterbelt Project
Efforts to enclose the desert with trees began in 1978 with the launch of China’s “Three-North Shelterbelt” project, colloquially known as the Great Green Wall. More than 30 million hectares (116,000 square miles) of trees have been planted.
Forest Coverage in Xinjiang
Forest coverage in Xinjiang alone has risen from 1% to 5% in the last 40 years, according to the People’s Daily. This is part of China’s efforts to bring its total forest coverage above 25%, up from around 10% in 1949.
Continuing Efforts to Prevent Desertification
China will continue planting vegetation and trees along the edge of the Taklamakan to ensure desertification is kept in check. Officials are planning new forest networks to protect farmland and orchards on the western edge of the desert. Poplar forests on the northern edge of the desert will be restored through the diversion of flood waters.
Statistics on Desertification
Despite China’s tree planting efforts, 26.8% of its total land is still classified as “desertified”, according to official data from the forestry bureau, down slightly from 27.2% a decade ago.
