North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region plans to expand the coverage of its efforts to treat desertified and sandy land, said the regional forestry and grassland bureau.

In 2024, Inner Mongolia plans to plant over 3 million mu (200,000 hectares) of trees, along with over 13 million mu (866,667 hectares) of grass, and treat over 15 million mu (1 million hectares) of desertified and sandy land.

This year, Inner Mongolia will spare no effort in carrying out the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, a large-scale afforestation project. It will also further integrate sand control with the installation of wind power and solar energy, as well as step up monitoring the project execution to ensure the planted trees and grass survive.

In 2023, the region had planted over 5.56 million mu (370,667 hectares) of trees, grown over 17.43 million mu (1.162 million hectares) of grass, and treated over 9.5 million mu (633,333 hectares) of desertified and sandy land, well ahead of the annual targets.

Home to four of the country's major deserts and four major sandy areas, Inner Mongolia has long been plagued by desertification and sandy land, and in recent years, the region has stepped up its afforestation efforts.

(Cover image via CFP)