China now an intl model for tackling desertification

Since 2012, China has successfully implemented sandification control measures on over 24 million hectares of land and additionally placed almost 1.9 million hectares under enclosed conservation, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The information was disclosed in a media release from the administration on Tuesday, which coincided with the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

Sandification refers to the change whereby an environment becomes sandy.

China conducts a national survey on desertification and sandification every five years. The four surveys conducted since 2000 have consistently indicated reductions in both the extent of land affected by desertification and sandification, and the severity of these problems, the administration noted.

The hazards of wind-sand disasters have been well controlled, with the total areas affected by wind erosion in the eight major deserts and four major sandy regions across the country decreasing by about 40 percent from 2000 to 2019, it continued.