Beijing: China’s Great Green Wall is a monumental environmental project that spans 46 years, aiming to encircle the Taklamakan Desert in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Known as the Sea of Death, the Taklamakan is one of the world’s largest and most unforgiving deserts. For years, the desert’s shifting sands posed a serious threat, sparking devastating sandstorms that not only ravaged local communities but also reached as far as Beijing. Today, China has completed a 3,000-kilometer-long green belt around the desert, a remarkable achievement in its battle against desertification.
The initiative is part of China’s ambitious “Three-North Shelterbelt” project, which began in 1978. Nicknamed the “Great Green Wall,” the project set out to combat desertification by planting trees on an unprecedented scale. Since its inception, over 30 million hectares of trees have been planted. Once a country with just 10% forest coverage in 1949, China’s forested area now exceeds 25%, a testament to the scale of this environmental transformation.
However, despite its successes, the project has faced challenges. Critics argue that tree survival rates have often been low, and the threat of sandstorms continues to persist. Cities like Beijing still experience intense sandstorms, raising questions about the true effectiveness of the green belt in completely halting desertification.
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The Chinese government, however, remains committed to expanding these efforts. Plans are underway to restore poplar forests on the northern edge of the desert using floodwaters. Additionally, new forest networks are being developed to protect farmland and orchards on the desert’s western edge.
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Nevertheless, desertification remains a persistent issue for China. Official statistics reveal that 26.8% of the country’s total land area is still classified as desertified, although this is a slight improvement from the 27.2% recorded a decade ago. These figures underscore the ongoing struggle against desertification and the vast amount of work that still lies ahead.
