Makit County's green revolution on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert

Makit is a county in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. 

Located on the southwestern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, it was once known as the "sea of death," a place where "not even a bird would fly, nor a blade of grass grow."

That began to change in 2012, when the county launched an ambitious campaign to reclaim the desert. Over the past 13 years, residents have planted 500,000 mu (about 33,000 hectares) of shelterbelt forests as part of a large-scale sand control project. The once-barren landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation, reversing decades of desertification and forming a green ecological barrier between human settlements and the vast desert.

As the forest coverage expands, the ecological benefits are increasingly translating into economic gains. More than 150 local households have been hired to manage the forest area, providing stable employment for around 270 people, each earning an average of 40,000 yuan (about $5,546) per year.

Meanwhile, Makit has developed a thriving desert economy centered on Cistanche, a valuable medicinal herb cultivated in symbiosis with saxaul trees. Since 2016, over 85,000 mu of Cistanche have been planted, generating an annual output worth 20 million yuan.

The greenery has also breathed new life into the county's tourism sector. N39° Desert Scenic Area now draws over 2,000 visitors a day, turning Makit into an emerging tourism destination.

With sand control, industry, and tourism working hand in hand, Makit County is offering a powerful example of how ecological restoration can drive sustainable development and improve lives.