According to officials at a conference on the development of China's central and western areas in Guiyang, the Chinese government will adopt effective measures to curb desertification.

Logging will be banned in mountainous areas, said Li Yucai, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration.

By 2050, China will increase its forest area by 74.5 million hectares. 97 million ha of soil-eroded land and 66 million hectares suffering from desertification will be reclaimed, Li said. China will tackle the desertification problem in Yangtze and Yellow River valleys in the next 20 years.

China now has 3.31 million ha of land that are plagued by desertification, affecting 400 million people.