Green assets growing with afforestation projects

With over 25 percent of its land surface covered by forests, China is the fastest and largest contributor to land greening efforts in the world, according to an official from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

On Wednesday, which marked the 47th National Tree Planting Day, the National Afforestation Commission released a communique on China's land greening status in 2024, highlighting progress made over the past year.

According to the document, China completed afforestation of 4.446 million hectares, improved 3.224 million hectares of land by planting grass, and reclaimed 2.783 million hectares of desertified and sandy land in 2024. The forest coverage rate surpassed 25 percent, while the forest stock volume exceeded 20 billion cubic meters, it said.

Zhang Liming, director of the ecological protection and restoration department at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said, "Continuous efforts have been made by the country to expand forest areas, enhance forest quality and benefits, and manage forest resources, thereby increasing the nation's green assets."

Afforestation of a cumulative total of 77.3 million hectares has been completed nationwide since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, making China the fastest and largest contributor to global greening efforts, he added.

According to the communique released by the National Afforestation Commission, significant achievements were made last year in the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, which began in 1978 as a strategic project to establish large protective forests in key areas affected by sandstorms and soil erosion in Northwest, North and Northeast China.

With 32 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) of funding from the central government, more than 3.8 million hectares of land in these regions were restored last year, it said.

Notably, the Taklimakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which is the largest desert in China, has been encircled by a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 kilometers.

The document also praised the progress made in the systemic treatment of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and deserts. A total of 176 projects on ecological protection and restoration in key regions and on ecological restoration support systems, as well as 27 projects for the integrated protection and restoration of the environment, have been carried out, with a cumulative treated area exceeding 5 million hectares, it said.

Moreover, ecological industries have brought increased benefits to the people, according to the document. The total output value of the forestry and grassland industry reached 10.17 trillion yuan, up 9.6 percent year-on-year. The production of forest food exceeded 200 million metric tons, making it the third-most important agricultural produce after grains and vegetables. Forest food refers to edible items produced in forests or woodlands, including fruits, flowers, leaves and branches.

The document highlighted that economic forests cover 46.667 million hectares in China, with an annual output value exceeding 2 trillion yuan, while 40 million hectares of forest land have been used for the under-forest economy, with an annual output value of about 1 trillion yuan.

The under-forest economy involves eco-friendly activities conducted under forest canopies, such as planting, breeding, wild produce gathering and ecotourism. Among these activities, ecotourism alone attracted 2.76 billion visitors last year, a 9.1 percent increase compared with 2023, the document said.