Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – China’s large-scale greening project, the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP), which began in 1978, continues to yield significant results. In 2024 alone, China successfully reforested and planted trees on an area covering 7.67 million hectares.
This information was announced in a bulletin released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Since 1978, China has designated March 12 as National Tree Planting Day, now marking its 47th year.
The report stated that 4.4 million hectares of land in the country were planted with various trees, surpassing the 2023 achievement of approximately 3.9 million hectares. In 2024, around 3.224 million hectares of degraded grasslands were successfully restored, while 2.783 million hectares of sandy and rocky lands were rehabilitated. As a result, the country’s forest coverage rate has exceeded 25 percent, with total forest stock volume surpassing 20 billion cubic meters, according to the report.
Since 1978, China has consistently pursued sustainable greening efforts to curb desertification. Between 2012 and 2022, China’s cumulative greening area reached 64 million hectares. From 1982 to 2021, China planted approximately 78.1 billion trees nationwide. In addition to tree planting, China has gradually transformed deserts into grasslands as part of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP).
Launched in 1978 and scheduled for completion by 2050, the program has effectively curbed desertification, serving as a “Green Great Wall” that prevents sandstorms, protects water and soil, and sustains agriculture. Between 2000 and 2017, China contributed to a quarter of the global increase in green areas, with TSFP being the primary contributor.
The report also highlighted that in 2024, the greening initiatives enhanced urban and rural landscapes, making cities and villages greener and more livable. Over 6,200 small parks were built in urban areas, while more than 7,300 kilometers of green belts were developed in cities. Additionally, over 50,000 kilometers of highways were greened last year, with national railway greening rates reaching 85.9 percent.
Ecosystem protection and restoration efforts have also been strengthened, with 27 holistic protection and land restoration projects promoted during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).
