China expands desert reforestation and ecosystem protection projects

China is scaling up nationwide efforts to combat desertification and strengthen ecosystem protection, according to NewsVoice, a partner of TV BRICS. Projects are currently underway in Xinjiang and Shanxi, where authorities and local communities are reforesting desert areas and restoring degraded land.

The nearly five-decade-long "Three-North Shelterbelt Project", also known as the “Great Green Wall,” plays a central role in the initiative.

Stretching 3,000 kilometres around the Taklamakan Desert, the project has helped transform parts of the desert into green zones. Volunteers and workers stabilise sand with straw grids and plant poplar trees, while careful water management ensures long-term results.

Thanks to such efforts, China’s forest cover has increased from 10 per cent in 1949 to more than 25 per cent in 2024. In Xinjiang, forested land expanded from 1 per cent to 5 per cent over the past 40 years.