China returned some 400,000 hectares of cultivated land to forest, pasture and lakes in 1999 as part of its ambitious environmental improvement program.

Statistics from the Ministry of Land and Resources show that China returned 40 percent more land to nature last year than in the previous year.

In the meantime, the country reclaimed 405,000 ha of arable land from deserted areas while reducing the amount of land used for infrastructure construction.

China has stepped up infrastructure construction to stimulate domestic demand over the past two years. However, only 200,000 ha of arable land were used for construction last year, much less than in previous years.

More than two-thirds of China's provinces and autonomous regions covered the loss of arable land in construction by reclaiming deserted areas last year.