Why China's green drive matters to global desertification battle

RIYADH, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Desertification has become one of the most severe environmental challenges facing humanity, as it leads to more sand and dust storms, jeopardizes food security, displaces communities and fuels conflicts.

Delegates from around the world are convening for the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) here on Dec. 2-13 to seek agreements and accelerate joint actions to support sustainable land management and climate resilience.

Since signing the convention 30 years ago, China has become the largest contributor to global greening and an international model for desertification control.

CHINA'S GREEN DRIVE

China has one of the world's largest affected areas, particularly in the northwestern, northern and northeastern regions that feature vast dryland and desert.

One of the country's landmark ecological projects is the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.

Since 1978, the project has added 32 million hectares to afforestation areas and treated 85.3 million hectares of degraded grassland and 33.3 million hectares of desertified land.

An aerial drone photo taken on July 6, 2024 shows tourists drifting on a lake in Zhalantun City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Through the program, China has also created the world's largest man-made forest in Saihanba in northern China's Hebei Province, completed the world's largest ecological restoration project in Maowusu in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, and turned the Kubuqi Desert in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region into a green land.

"I was moved by the images of different generations of Chinese people fighting desertification and by China's leadership in this process," said UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Andrea Meza Murillo, commending the nation's long-term commitment and innovative approach to combating desertification.

Sidna Ahmed Ely, director general of the National Agency of the Great Green Wall of Mauritania, told Xinhua that his country, with 84 percent of land desertified, was inspired by and gained strength and determination from China's "green Great Wall."

Noting that Mauritania has established a partnership with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017, Ahmed Ely said: "We are proud of our first partnership under the framework of the Great Green Wall initiative for Africa. We are proud of the Chinese experience."

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

New technologies that China applied in its desertification control were showcased at the China Pavilion at an exhibition held along with summits, ministerial dialogues, award presentations, and theme days during COP16.

Visitors were drawn to an AI tree planting robot model brought by Eason Intelligent Equipment (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

"With AI, autonomous driving, the BeiDou satellite navigation system, and green energy, robots can reduce afforestation costs by 20-25 percent, increase planting survival rates by 10-20 percent, and are over five times more efficient than manual ways," the company's General Manager Bian Lijun told Xinhua.

After learning that robots could plant trees in 20-30 seconds remotely, Majed Al-Mebairik, facility administrative assistant of the UN Development Programme, said he was impressed.

"It's very automatic, interesting, and very helpful," Al-Mebairik said.

"I have visited many countries' pavilions and learned about their actions, twice to China's pavilion though. I think China's practice is the best," said Saldan Odontuya, Mongolian environment and climate change minister.

People visit the China Pavilion during the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

GREEN COMMITMENT

Despite being faced with some of the world's most severe challenges in desertification, China has taken a unique path that integrates ecological restoration with improving livelihoods, driven by top-level policies, legislation and technological innovation.

According to official data, 53 percent of China's treatable desertified land has been restored, leading to a net reduction of approximately 4.33 million hectares of degraded land. China has become the first nation to achieve zero net land degradation while reducing both desertified and sandified areas.

The green development has also witnessed green prosperity. Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and high-quality forage grass are planted in those sandy areas, so are melons and walnuts. In some areas, income from forest fruits constitutes more than half of farmers' net income, data from China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration have shown.

"We're incredibly proud to be a partner with China. China has been a pioneer in showing how to create prosperous areas in areas that were once desertified and degraded. And we are proud to partner with you (China) to bring those lessons to other countries," said Valerie Hickey, global director for the environment at the World Bank.

China has championed global cooperation in combating desertification, establishing an international knowledge management center with the UNCCD and hosting the Kubuqi International Desert Forum to share global research and ecological economy insights.

To join the efforts of the Global South, China has also launched desertification control centers with Arab states and Mongolia, created demonstration sites in Central Asia and Africa, and provided satellite technology and big data support for Africa's Great Green Wall initiative.

"I wanted to commend the Chinese government leadership globally on combating desertification, and the experience-sharing between China and the bigger Global South," said Charles Karangwa, global head of nature-based solutions at the International Union for Conservation of Nature.