The 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was recently held in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, calling for global efforts to restore land and boost drought resilience.

With a total area of more than 600 square meters, the China Pavilion was the largest national pavilion apart from that of the host country. It showcased the nation's decades-long efforts and achievements in combating desertification, particularly through the Great Green Wall, which is officially known as the Three-North Shelter Forest Program.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of UNCCD. Since China's acceding to UNCCD in October 1994, 53 percent of the nation's treatable desertified land has been managed. By the end of 2023, the forest coverage rate had exceeded 25 percent, with forest stock volume surpassing 20 billion cubic meters and annual carbon sequestration reaching more than 1.2 billion metric tons, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Leveraging innovative support

The use of science and technology is directly related to the effectiveness of desertification control.

For years, China has kept exploring new technologies and methods to prevent and control desertification, selecting and promoting drought-resistant and wind-resistant tree and grass species, and scientifically promoting sand control systems such as Shapotou in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, Minqin in Gansu province, Dengkou in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Kekoya in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and Saihanba in Hebei province.

Developed by Chinese researchers, the straw checkerboards, a dune fixation technique in which straw is placed on the desert surface in the shape of a checkerboard, has been well received by countries which suffer from desertification.

Endrias Geta, state minister of the Ethiopian Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, said that China has a lot of experience in restoring degraded areas and making them productive, "We need to strengthen our long-term relationship with China in terms of transferring knowledge, technologies, and also in capacity building."

Development of sand control has also been accelerated, with widely adopted mechanized and intelligent technologies, such as sand fixation machinery and drone seeding.

Currently, nearly half of the afforestation in the Great Green Wall project is done mechanically.

In keeping with China's National Action Program to Combat Desertification, the country carried out national desertification monitoring, to gain timely and accurate information on the national trend in desertification and to provide professional information for macro decision-making in combating desertification.

Engaging in international cooperation

Climate change and desertification have reminded us of the importance of unity, being one for all, all for one, said Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, urging nations to strengthen collaboration in combating desertification.

China has not only accelerated desertification control, but also carried out extensive international cooperation to share experience and promote the Chinese solutions of desertification control to the world.

The nation has successively hosted the Asian ministerial conference and the Asian-African conference to promote regional implementation cooperation and actions.

The UNCCD Secretariat has twice honored China for its "outstanding contribution to combating desertification," and the Great Green Wall project has been recognized in the Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement by the United Nations Environment Programme.

UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Andrea Meza Murillo said that she was moved by the images of different generations of Chinese people fighting desertification and by China's leadership in this process. The effective policies, community and local government involvement, as well as innovation and technology, are key components of China's success.

"To fight desertification needs international cooperation," Ahmed Nazal Nuri, official from the League of Arab States' environment and climate affairs department said, adding that they are grateful for participating in the tour-study program to see how China tackles this problem.

China has made tremendous efforts to combat desertification, and Africa can learn lessons from it to better address its sustainable development and climate change issues, according to Africa-China Review.