Desertification and Drought Day: United for land

Every June 17 marks the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, a day set by the United Nations to raise public awareness of the severe consequences of land degradation, desertification and drought. This year, the theme is "United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future," which spotlights the future of land stewardship – our most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.

According to the UN, desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40 percent of all land worldwide already considered degraded. 

Desertification makes land vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, leading to the loss of forests and vegetation cover, which further causes shortages in wood and food resources, as well as biodiversity damage.

The causes of land desertification are diverse. Abnormal global climate changes, especially the trend toward warmer and drier conditions in mid-latitude regions, create a large ecological backdrop conducive to desertification. Adverse natural factors, such as arid climates, high variability in precipitation, high sand content in soils, and loose, easily movable soils are significant contributors. Particularly, strong and frequent sand-driving winds provide a powerful force for the desertification. Human activities are also a major cause of land desertification.

Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95 percent of our food but also much more: it clothes and shelters us, provides jobs and livelihoods, and protects us from the worsening droughts, floods and wildfires, according to a report on UN's website.

China is one of the areas most affected by desertification and land degradation in the world. As a pressing ecological challenge impacting vast stretches of China, desertification has long been a focal point among the country's development concerns.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, significant achievements have been made in sand control and desertification prevention. Fifty-three percent of the desertified land that can be treated has been rehabilitated, with the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP) playing a crucial role in this success.

The TSFP, launched in 1978 and scheduled for completion in 2050, is the world's largest afforestation project. It has already helped protect the land inhabited by people in northern China.

Since its initiation in 1978, the TSFP has enabled China to expand its afforestation area by 32 million hectares. In 2023, the country planted approximately 4 million hectares of forest, surpassing the 3.83 million hectares planted in 2022, and restored 4.38 million hectares of degraded grassland.  

From 2009 to 2019, desertified land decreased by a net of 50,000 square kilometers, while sandy land decreased by a net of 43,300 square kilometers. It is estimated that the development of forestry and fruit-growing industries under the program has lifted about 15 million people out of poverty in affected areas.

The TSFP, exemplifying China's integrated approach to managing mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, has drawn interest from international delegates in the Middle East, Central Asia, and beyond seeking to learn from its experiences. Ambassadors, government officials, experts, and scholars from over 100 countries have visited China to study the project and have highly acclaimed its achievements.