China’s “Green Wall” Completes a Major Milestone in the Fight Against Desertification

While its scale and ambition are commendable, the initiative has sparked debate among experts.

China has officially completed a 3,046-kilometer-long green belt along the edge of its largest desert, the Taklimakan. Often referred to as the “Great Green Wall,” this ambitious project aims to tackle one of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges—desertification.

The green belt, composed of red willows, sacsaoul, and other resilient plants, serves as a barrier against desert winds and sandstorms, which have historically caused widespread agricultural damage in Northwest China’s Xinjiang region. By stabilizing the encroaching desert, the initiative seeks to protect the livelihoods of millions living nearby.

The Great Green Wall is part of China’s broader Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, launched in 1978 to halt the advance of arid zones like the Gobi Desert. Spanning over 70 years, the project aims to plant up to 100 billion trees by 2050, positioning itself as the largest ecological engineering effort in history.

While its scale and ambition are commendable, the initiative has sparked debate among experts. Some researchers warn that planting non-native trees in monocultures could harm local ecosystems and leave forests vulnerable to pests and diseases. Others question its effectiveness in mitigating sandstorms, a key objective of the project.

Despite these criticisms, the program underscores China’s proactive approach to combating desertification, a problem affecting over 27 percent of the country’s land and an estimated 400 million people. As desertification worsens globally due to climate change, China’s efforts hold valuable lessons for other nations facing similar threats.

What is Desertification?

Desertification transforms fertile land into barren desert, driven by factors such as overfarming, deforestation, and climate change. The phenomenon isn’t limited to arid regions; semi-arid areas across Europe, including parts of Spain, Greece, and Italy, face significant risks of desertification within this century.

Globally, desertification is accelerating. A 2020 UN report revealed that 77.6 percent of the Earth’s land was drier than three decades ago. Nichole Barger, Chair of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s Science-Policy Interface, emphasized the urgent need for global cooperation, stating, “Without concerted efforts, billions face a future marked by hunger, displacement, and economic decline.”

While China’s Great Green Wall may not be a perfect solution, it highlights the importance of large-scale ecological interventions in addressing environmental challenges. As desertification threatens ecosystems and economies worldwide, projects like this showcase both the potential and the complexities of combating land degradation.