Desert Restoration Reaches Major Milestone

More than 10 million hectares of desertified land have been restored, helping ecosystems recover, strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable livelihoods across China.

The country’s desertified land has reversed from expanding by an average of 343,300 hectares each year in the late 1990s to shrinking by a net 666,600 hectares annually, marking a significant long-term turnaround in land restoration.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–25), almost 2 million hectares of rocky-desertification land were also restored. Since 2023, 544 major projects have received 88.9 billion yuan (US$13.2 billion) in funding, covering 16.3 million hectares. Combining photovoltaic power generation with restoration has also helped rehabilitate 353,300 hectares of sandy land. The programme generated an output value of 800 billion yuan (US$118 billion) in 2025 and provided employment for 1.526 million farmers and herders through work-relief programmes, with 10.24 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) paid in wages.