China's key regions see broad ecological gains

China has completed ecological status assessments in nine major regions nationwide, with results showing sustained overall improvement, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Wednesday, highlighting the impact of intensified conservation and restoration efforts.

The assessments cover nine priority areas, including the Yellow River basin, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the ministry.

Thematic surveys and evaluations of these regions are intended to provide scientific support and decision-making references for advancing the construction of a "Beautiful China."

In the Yellow River basin, a governance framework that coordinates upstream and downstream areas and central and local authorities has taken shape, contributing to continued improvements in ecosystem quality.

Vegetation "green lines" have extended about 300 kilometers northwestward, signaling an overall ecological recovery in the basin.

Along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, development intensity along riverbanks of both main streams and tributaries has declined markedly, while the proportion of ecosystems rated as "good" or above has increased by an average of 0.8 percentage points per year, the survey found.

In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, shallow and deep groundwater levels have risen by 2.59 meters and 7.06 meters, respectively, compared with 2018, reflecting a sustained rebound of regional water resources.

The survey also showed that more than half of the Qinling Mountains' key ecological spaces are on a recovery trajectory.

Meanwhile, desertification has eased in typical arid and semi-arid areas, with sandification in the Yellow River's "Great Bend" region reduced by 12.9 percent.