China restores over half of its desertified land

BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China has restored over half of its manageable desertified land over the past decade, making great strides in addressing desertification, according to the country's forestry authority.

In total, 18.8 million hectares of desertified land have been harnessed and 1.77 million hectares have been sealed off for protection over the past decade, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The area of desertified land in the country has shrunk by 4.33 million hectares since 2012, with significant improvement to the ecological environment in sand areas, said an official from the administration.

China has established 41 national comprehensive demonstration zones for desertification control and 128 national desert parks over the past 10 years, he said.

"Sandy and dusty weather in the country has decreased significantly over the past five years, down 31 percent compared with the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010)," he added.

Apart from addressing desertification, the country has also made full use of the sand area's rich heat and land resources to develop agricultural, tourism and other related industries to boost income of local people.