China restores over 10m hectares of desertified land in 14th FYP

China restored over 10 million hectares of desertified land and almost 2 million hectares of rocky-desertification land during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), according to a media release from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Tuesday, which marked the 32nd World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

The country's desertified land area has continued to shrink, the administration stressed. From an average annual expansion of 343,300 hectares in the late 1990s, the trend has reversed to a net reduction of 666,600 hectares per year today.

The administration has especially highlighted the progress made under the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, a large-scale afforestation project that spans 13 provincial-level regions.

Since 2023, the central government has invested 88.9 billion yuan ($13.2 billion) in 544 key projects, covering 16.3 million hectares of land, it disclosed.

China has adopted innovative approaches in desertification control as it forges ahead with the program. For instance, it has integrated photovoltaic power generation with desertification control efforts, bringing 353,300 hectares of sandy land under treatment.

Over the years, local governments involved in the program have balanced desertification control with economic development, developing sand-based industries tailored to local conditions, the administration said.

Thanks to these efforts, the total output value of the forestry and grassland industry in the Three-North region reached 800 billion yuan in 2025. The program has also created jobs for local residents, with 1.526 million farmers and herders employed through work-relief programs, receiving 10.24 billion yuan in labor payments, it added.