--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Progress made holding back desert image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4615ff7c9056bc4a/6a4b523978ebb74418709a6b/AA263EBB05B443D882BDB485AD1AD83D.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Progress made holding back desert  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ Workers plant grass grids at a sand control site that is part of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program in Gaotai county in Zhangye, Gansu province, in March. Gaotai is located on the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert, China’s third-largest desert. CHENG LIN/FOR CHINA DAILY By JI HAISHENG and YUAN HUI After years of cumulative effort, the Alshaa League on the western edge of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region treated its 100 millionth mu (16.48 million acres) of desertified land in October. The milestone comes on the back of the sustained hard work of many across China’s northern reaches to hold back the spread of the desert. “This breakthrough represents both a quantitative leap and a qualitative transformation in our ecological conservation efforts,” said Tuvshin, head of Alshaa’s forestry and grassland bureau. “The green barriers we’ve built along the fringes of three major deserts have solidified a crucial ecological shield for northern China,” he said. This hard-won progress coincides with a significant strategic evolution at the national level. In September, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, unveiled a revised master plan for the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, stretching across the north, northwest and northeast of the country. This updated blueprint refocuses efforts from sheer scale toward scientific precision and synergistic benefits, aiming to secure past gains and accelerate future progress. The convergence of Alshaa’s tangible success and the plan’s strategic refinement marks a new chapter in China’s long-term commitment to ecological civilization, offering insights for desertification control globally. Launched in 1978, the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program is a large-scale, multiphase afforestation project aimed at protecting northern China from desertification and sandstorms. After the initial phase of the project, in 1989 China unveiled a comprehensive plan that outlined the scale, objectives and stages, guiding the project through to its 2050 completion. The project, spanning 13 provincial-level regions, focused overwhelmingly on planting trees and shrubs at a massive scale to stabilize soil and block the advancing sands. This approach has yielded significant results, increasing the region’s forest coverage from 5.05% in 1977 to 13.84% today. Zhang Jingbo, office director of the Three-North program research institute, said that as a pivotal national strategy, the program is fundamental to China’s ecological security, sustainable development and people’s wellbeing. By combating desertification it safeguards food security, fosters green industries and demonstrates China’s commitment to global ecological governance, earning international recognition as a successful model, Zhang said. Cheng Xiaoqin, a professor of forest ecology at Beijing Forestry University, said the decision to revise the master plan has been driven by both urgency and strategic foresight. She pointed out three challenges that necessitated the update. The degradation of ecosystems revealed the need for more targeted governance, as some plantations faced water scarcity and vulnerability to pests. A changing climate, bringing more frequent droughts, underscored the need for a more resilient, water-conscious approach. Additionally, the focus on pure ecological defense often overlooked potential economic opportunities for local communities. The revised plan tackles these challenges by adopting a holistic philosophy focused on expanding, revitalizing and safeguarding green spaces. Central to this approach is the reimagining of forests as synergistic assets that fulfill the essential roles of acting as water reservoirs, providing economic resources, ensuring food security, and serving as carbon sinks. This strategic upgrade aligns with national goals for ecosystem security and high-quality development, as well as global efforts in ecosystem governance, Cheng said. The success in Alshaa provides a case study of this evolving strategy in action. The league, grappling with the Badain Jaran, Tengger and Ulan Buh deserts, was once a primary source of sandstorms affecting northern China. Decades of persistence, employing methods such as aerial seeding, enclosure conservation and afforestation, have culminated in the creation of a 1153-mile network of protective forest and grasslands. The greenbelts have effectively halted the expansion of the three deserts, protecting not only local communities but also vital natural landscapes like the Yellow River, Hexi Corridor and Hetao Plain. In addition, they safeguard critical infrastructure, including highways, railways and gas transmission pipelines. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Inner Mongolia expanded the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program by an additional 16.48 acres, as part of a broader national effort to combat desertification, improve ecological stability and enhance environmental protection. During this period, the region completed the afforestation of 24.39 million acres, improved 60.47 million acres of land by planting grass, and reclaimed 30.47 million acres of desertified and sandy land. These efforts are unparalleled in scale, ranking first in the country, and demonstrate the region’s commitment to large-scale ecological management and restoration. The revised master plan sets out clear goals for the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program by 2050\. Those goals include increasing the forest coverage rate by another 1.9 percentage points to bring the forest and grass coverage rate to 43%. 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