Ant Forest's 700m trees boosts local economies across China

Over the past decade, more than 700 million trees have been planted through Ant Forest, a digital initiative launched in August 2016 that connects users' low-carbon daily habits to real-world afforestation efforts. The initiative fosters healthy lifestyle habits and environmental awareness, contributing not only to environmental sustainability but also supporting local economies.

The trees now cover 4,713 square kilometers across 13 provinces, an area equivalent to half of China's eighth largest desert, the Ulan Buh Desert. Over 90 percent of these trees are planted in the core zones of China's Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.

The initiative has attracted 700 million users, with more than 20 percent participating in tree planting. It has created 5.17 million job opportunities for planting and maintenance, generating 776 million yuan ($115 million) in labor income for local workers.

Among those who turned digital green energy into real forests is Zhang Jingjing, a frequent business traveler to Northwest China. Witnessing vast stretches of barren desert and severe sandstorms, where even speaking outdoors was difficult, she realized that tree planting for desertification control was a worthwhile long-term effort, and has been planting trees on Ant Forest since 2016.

In 2021, when online posts questioned whether the trees actually existed, Zhang rerouted a road trip with friends to Jinta county in Jiuquan, Gansu province, to find her first "digital" tree. They located the plot listed on her certificate, seeing rows of poplars standing at eye level, each with its own drip-irrigation line.

She documented the scene and posted it online, attracting attention. Her friends were inspired and started collecting energy and planting trees too.

Behind every tree planted, someone had to physically put it in the ground. In Dunhuang, Gansu province, Zhuang Run, 65, has been involved in desertification control and afforestation since 2017 and has been guarding a saxaul forest for Ant Forest since 2019.

As saxauls grow slowly and stay close to the ground, Zhuang rarely judges their health by size alone. Instead, he checks whether the leaves curl, maps the soil and groundwater beneath each row, and adjusts the species and planting methods to coax the young roots to grow deeper. Once the roots reach water, a saxaul can survive on its own, according to Zhuang.

Joining Zhuang are 16 others, most of whom are around his age, who repeatedly replant and patrol the area. In recent years, they have witnessed wildlife such as hares, foxes, and goitered gazelles gradually return to the forested area.

Beyond tree planting, Ant Forest has expanded into broader ecological conservation over the decade. These include co-building 35 public welfare nature reserves across 16 provinces, covering more than 5,000 square km, and organizing 676 beach cleanup events across seven coastal provinces and municipalities.