China’s great green wall

[Jitendra Hydonus]

China is building a 3,000-mile-long Great Green Wall to stop the desert from spreading.

Known as the Great Green Wall, the project began in 1978 and is expected to continue until 2050. When completed, it will stretch over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) and include around 100 billion trees across northern China.

The goal is to slow the spread of the Gobi Desert, which has steadily expanded over recent decades. Desertification has damaged grasslands, reduced agricultural productivity, and contributed to massive dust storms that can affect cities hundreds of kilometres away.

The trees act as windbreaks, helping stabilise soil and reduce the movement of sand and dust. In some areas, they are also used to help restore degraded land and protect vulnerable farmland.

Research suggests the project has helped reduce the intensity of dust storms in parts of northern China. Scientists have found a link between increasing vegetation cover and declining dust storm activity, with some regions seeing dramatic improvements over the past several decades.

However, the project remains controversial.

Critics argue that planting large numbers of trees in naturally arid regions can place additional strain on limited water supplies. Others have warned that relying on a small number of tree species can make forests more vulnerable to disease and ecological disruption.

As a result, recent efforts have increasingly focused on planting a wider mix of native trees, shrubs, and grasses better suited to local conditions.

Despite the challenges, the Great Green Wall remains one of the most ambitious ecological restoration projects ever attempted.

Its success or failure could influence similar efforts around the world, including large-scale projects aimed at slowing desertification across Africa's Sahel region.

More than four decades after it began, China's Great Green Wall continues to serve as one of the world's largest experiments in using nature to fight environmental change.

Learn more:
"China's Great Green Wall." Royal Geographical Society