China has 87.6 million hectares of artificial forests and has achieved significant accomplishments in ecological protection and restoration.
China has continuously improved the quality of its ecosystems, contributing significantly to the global increase in green areas and achieving notable successes in desertification control and national park development, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA). The NFGA announced a series of ecological protection results on August 15, marking the first National Ecology Day in the country.
Wetlands in the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, on July 1. (Photo: Xinhua).
Over the past decade, efforts to protect and restore ecosystems have been intensified. Forest area has continuously increased, with the national forest coverage rate rising from 21.63% to 24.02%. China has conserved 87.6 million hectares of artificial forests, ranking first in the world, according to the NFGA.
The country also contributes about one-quarter of the global increase in green areas, leading the world in this regard. Grassland area exceeds 264.5 million hectares, the largest in the world, with an overall vegetation coverage of 50.32%. Wetlands cover more than 56.3 million hectares, ranking fourth globally. Through the implementation of significant ecological projects, such as the TSFP reforestation project, China has also achieved over 20 million hectares of desertification control, with reductions in sandy and desertified land.
China is building the largest national park system globally in terms of protected area, comprising 49 potential sites with a total area of over 1 million square kilometers, accounting for about 10% of China’s land area. This system is expected to be home to over 5,000 species of terrestrial vertebrates and more than 29,000 plant species. Currently, the first five national parks in the system have shown positive results.
China also protects ecosystems by implementing various regulations concerning forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, and other areas. As a result, the rate of damage from wildfires is significantly lower than the global average, according to the NFGA.
