https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2026/0427/c95952-20450714.html

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01102-w

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01195-3

In an editorial and opinion piece , the British magazine Nature stated that while several desertification countermeasures around the world are facing slow progress or setbacks, China’s “Green Great Wall,” or “Three Norths” (Northwest, North China, and Northeast) protective forest project, which has been promoted for nearly half a century, represents one of the few paths that has been proven through practice. The significance of this experience lies not merely in “tree planting,” but in how to deal with complex ecological and social problems with a long-term governance mindset.

Most “Green Great Wall” projects began with the simple idea of ​​”stopping desert expansion through large-scale tree planting.” However, initial greening is often difficult to maintain. Droughts, grazing, and lack of management easily cause seedlings to die. The problem is not limited to natural conditions. Trees require water and long-term management, but short-term funding does not provide sustained support. Furthermore, there is often a lack of consideration for appropriate tree species, water resource constraints, and the impact on local livelihoods. For example, for local farmers and nomads, trees sometimes compete with livestock for limited resources, making them less motivated to participate or maintain the project. These factors combine to make planting easy, but ensuring survival extremely difficult.

In contrast, China’s “Three Norths” Protective Forest Project serves as a model for long-term progress. Launched in 1978, this project is planned to continue until 2050. Current progress shows that the project has already achieved gradual results. Forest cover in the affected areas increased from approximately 5% in 1978 to nearly 14% in 2023, and soil erosion area decreased by about two-thirds. The intensity and frequency of sandstorms have also decreased, and air quality in downwind cities has improved.

However, a more significant change is occurring in governance methods. Taking the Taklamakan Desert Highway in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as an example, protective zones of drought-tolerant shrubs have been constructed along both sides of this crucial route through the desert for approximately 440 km to weaken wind-driven sand and prevent the intrusion of shifting sands. The initial protective system relied on diesel-powered drip irrigation, resulting in significant cost and emission problems. However, it later gradually transitioned to solar-powered irrigation, becoming a “zero-carbon” desert highway in 2022.

In recent years, China has been constructing large-scale wind and solar power facilities even on the edges of deserts. Solar panels not only provide shade for vegetation and maintain humidity, but also promote the development of rural industries, creating jobs and income sources for local communities.

Furthermore, China has accumulated numerous effective technologies through long-term trials. For example, the “grass grid” sand stabilization technique (using dried straw arranged in a grid pattern of 1-meter squares and buried in the sand) increases surface roughness, reduces wind speed, and stabilizes sediment transport, creating an environment conducive to vegetation recovery. In the Kubuqi Desert of Inner Mongolia, a large-scale solar power plant generates 4.1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, while simultaneously restoring approximately 6,700 hectares of land and reducing sediment runoff into the Yellow River by approximately 2 million tons. Digital incentives are also proving effective; Alipay’s “Ant Forest” project has already attracted over 500 million users and supported the planting of over 600 million drought-tolerant plants. Even more importantly, China is evaluating the effectiveness of its projects through continuous monitoring. Since 1994, it has conducted six nationwide desertification surveys, employing quantitative assessments combining satellite, drone, and field data.

Nature reports that China’s “Green Great Wall” project demonstrates that large-scale ecosystem restoration is not impossible, but its success depends on continued government funding and long-term harmony between ecosystems and society. (Edited by NA)