BEIJING, Dec. 29 -- China has experienced less serious desertification over the past decade with data revealing that desertified areas have been shrinking, the forestry authority said on Tuesday.

By the end of 2014, there was 2.61 million square kilometers of desertified area in China, about 27 percent of the whole territory, down 12,120 square kilometers from a previous survey in 2009, according to research by the State Forestry Administration.

China has been monitoring desertification and sandification every five years since 1995. It was in 2004 that desertified areas started to reduce.

By the end of 2014, there was 1.72 million square kilometers of sandified land, about 17.93 percent of the national territory, down 9,902 square kilometers from 2009, it said.

Despite the notable progress, the monitoring results also indicate that desertification and sandification are still a serious matter, said Zhang Jianlong, head of the administration.

Launched in January last year, this fifth monitoring survey combines land surface data with satellite remote-sensing technology, and is expected to inform policy-making.