BEIJING: China completed 125 million mu (8.33 million hectares) of afforestation and the improvement on grassland, and reclaimed desertified land and rocky desertification of land that amounted to 28.57 million mu (190 hectares) in 2023, exceeding the country’s afforestation goals, a teleconference on the national forestry and grassland work held by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration revealed on Monday.
According to a report from Global Times, the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program successfully initiated 22 out of 68 projects, resulting in the completion of afforestation activities covering an impressive 18 million mu. In addition to this, China actively expedited significant land greening initiatives by executing 96 major ecological restoration projects and establishing 25 national pilot demonstrations. Furthermore, research was carried out on the closed-loop management of national projects.
Moreover, the inclusion of 18 newly recognised wetlands of international significance and 29 nat
ionally significant wetlands serves as a testament to China’s commitment towards wetland conservation. In pursuit of this objective, China has undertaken 14 substantial endeavours aimed at the safeguarding of wetland areas, alongside 48 compensation projects and 91 restoration initiatives. Furthermore, the preservation of ancient trees has been fortified through the implementation of enhanced archives, databases, and precision conservation mapping techniques.
Source: Emirates News Agency