On the afternoon of June 6, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on strengthening comprehensive desertification prevention and control and promoting the construction of key ecological projects such as the "Three Norths" in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that we must bravely undertake the mission, brave hardships, and make contributions for a long time, strive to create a new miracle of China's desertification prevention and control in the new era, build the green barrier of the northern Xinjiang of the motherland more solidly, and make greater achievements in building a beautiful China.

Desertification is a major global ecological problem affecting human survival and development. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, adopted in June 1994, desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas caused by a variety of factors, including climate variability and human activities.

Sand control customers plant seedlings in the Yili Ecological Management Area of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia (taken on April 2023, 4, drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Lei

For a long time, desertification has posed a serious threat to the survival of mankind and is the main cause of sandstorm disasters. China is one of the countries in the world with the largest area of desertification, the largest number of affected people and the most serious damage caused by wind and sand. There are 38.61 billion mu of desertified land in the country, affecting the production and life of more than 4 million people.

For a long time, China has regarded the prevention and control of desertification as an important strategic task and adopted a series of effective measures.

It's May 2023, 5, and sand control workers carry water pipes in the Kubuqi Desert Yili Ecological Management Area to prepare to water trees. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Kaiyan

Since the 3th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has adhered to the integrated protection and systematic management of landscapes, waters, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, and achieved remarkable results in desertification prevention and control. A total of 05 million mu of desertification land has been completed nationwide, the area of desertification land closed and protected has reached 2707.65 million mu, the desertification land treatment rate has reached 53.1%, and 41 national comprehensive demonstration areas for desertification prevention and control and 99 national desert parks have been established.

This is the Kubuqi Desert Yili Ecological Management Area taken on May 2023, 5. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Kaiyan

The results of the sixth national desertification and desertification survey released at the end of last year showed that China's desertification and desertification land area has maintained a "double reduction" for four consecutive monitoring periods, and for the first time achieved a "double reversal" of desertification and desertification land in all surveyed provinces.

Reporters: Yan Fujing, Zhang Lina, Li Yunping

Visual | Editors: Wu Jingjing, Bao Yuhan

Jointly produced by Xinhua News Agency and Xinhua News Agency Inner Mongolia Branch