The General Office of the State Council has issued guidelines on adopting detailed measures as part of China's afforestation efforts to improve the country's natural environment.

The guidelines highlight 14 measures related to various processes of afforestation, including planning, land arrangement, utilization of water resources, selection of green species, vegetation restoration, returning farmland to forest and grassland, and innovative evaluation.

They also urges efforts in afforestation and pushes to follow the inherent rules of the ecosystem to improve the stability of the ecosystem and its capacity for self-repair, while coordinating the protection, restoration and controlling of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grass and sand.

The guidelines underscore the principle of considering local conditions, land situations and the capacity of water resources in vegetation selection, in order to build a healthy and stable ecosystem, as well as carrying out land greening frugally and pragmatically across the country.

They also urges local authorities to strengthen the management, supervision and inspection of land-greening activities.

(With input from Xinhua)

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