China sees improvements in grassland ecology

Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2020 shows the grassland scenery in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Li Linhai)

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China has seen improvements in its grassland ecosystem amid the country's efforts to push forward green development, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Wednesday.

The country's comprehensive vegetation coverage reached 56.1 percent in 2020, up 5 percentage points from 2011, according to a ministry official at a press conference.

Such notable improvements have come as the country has been stepping up efforts to protect and restore its grassland in recent years. The degradation trend has been preliminarily curbed, with notable progress achieved in grassland ecology in some areas, according to the ministry.

China in March issued guidelines to strengthen grassland protection and restoration. According to the document, a grassland protection and restoration system should be basically established, and the country's grassland vegetation coverage should be stabilized at 57 percent by 2025.