China plans to complete the construction of a green belt around the country's largest desert, the Taklamakan, by the end of the year. This was announced by the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, by the end of 2023, the green belt around the Taklamakan Desert had reached a length of 2,761 kilometers. Tuheti Rahman, director of the Xinjiang Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said that the final 285-kilometer section will be completed by the end of this year. Once finished, the 337,600 square kilometer desert will be completely surrounded by vegetation.
He noted that the final section would be the most challenging to work on due to the region's severe wind and sandstorms in southern Xinjiang.
The project to control the Taklamakan Desert is part of China's Three-North Shelter Forest Program, known as the world's largest afforestation program to combat desertification in northwest, north, and northeast China. The program was launched in 1978 and is scheduled for completion by 2050.
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