The largest desert in China, the Taklimakan is entirely encircled by a green belt stretching 3,046 km as of late November, thanks to more than four decades of efforts as part of China’s Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the world’s most extensive afforestation program to tackle desertification.
Over the past 46 years, China has expanded its afforestation area by 32 million hectares under the program. By 2050, the afforestation area under the program is projected to encompass over 4 million square km across 13 provincial-level regions, accounting for 42.4 percent of the country’s total land area.
Moreover, the forest coverage rate of the areas under the program has risen from 5.05% to 13.84%. Significant progress has been made in desertification and soil erosion control, while about 30 million hectares of farmland protection has been ensured.
According to statistics, the Taklimakan is the world’s second-largest drifting desert, covering 337,600 square km with a circumference of 3,046 km.
The desert poses significant threats to its surrounding ecological environment. Over the years, it has buried roads, river channels, and farmland, with some dunes encroaching on oases at a rate of two to three meters a year.
Cox’s Bazar Life Desk/Xinhua
