What's right: China's Great Green wall completed

ARA City Radio

China has completed a monumental 46-year effort to encircle the Taklamakan Desert with a vast green belt of trees. Stretching over 3,000 kilometers in the Xinjiang region, this initiative is part of the "Three-North Shelterbelt" project, also known as the Great Green Wall, launched in 1978. The goal: combat desertification and protect vital farmland. Over 30 million hectares of trees have been planted, boosting China's forest coverage from 10% in 1949 to more than 25% today. However, critics warn that the harsh desert conditions—rising temperatures, sandstorms, and floods—may threaten the long-term survival of these forests. In response, China's forestry experts spent decades researching resilient tree species that could withstand these challenges. This green-wall effort has inspired similar projects worldwide. In 2007, the African Union launched the Great Green Wall initiative in the Sahel region, aiming to restore 100 million hectares of land across 22 African countries by 2030. The project seeks to improve local living conditions, enhance food security, and create climate-resilient regions as a global model for combating desertification.