A large-scale replanting project has been completed along the ecological shelterbelt of the Tarim Desert Highway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where 500,000 drought- and salt-tolerant seedlings were newly planted in the heart of the Taklimakan Desert.

Around 1.65 million square meters of straw checkerboard barriers were also laid in sand-encroached areas outside the shelterbelt to stabilize shifting dunes.

The Tarim Desert Highway, the world's longest highway crossing a shifting desert, is a major transport route linking northern and southern Xinjiang.

Since the completion of the 436-kilometer ecological shelterbelt project along the highway in 2005, the forest belt has helped curb sand encroachment and ensure safe traffic flow.

In recent years, however, parts of the shelterbelt have experienced plant degradation, pest infestations and seedling loss as the forest ages.

Eight greening and maintenance teams at the Tarim Oilfield carried out operations along the highway since early April, replanting species including tamarisk and saxaul in areas with missing vegetation.

The work was designed to improve the diversity and resilience of the shelterbelt ecosystem.