China is set to complete the final work on building a green belt around the Taklimakan Desert, the country’s largest desert, by the end of this year, said Tohti Rahman, director of the forestry and grassland bureau in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The green belt surrounding the Taklimakan Desert reached 2,761 kilometers in length by the end of last year, Tohti Rahman was quoted by the Chinese news agency Xinhua as saying, adding that the construction of the last section, which is 285 kilometers long, is expected to be completed before the end of this year, surrounding the entire desert, which covers an area of 337,600 square kilometers.
The last section is the most difficult to work on, Tohti Rahman said in a video conference, as the area is most vulnerable to strong winds and sandstorms in southern Xinjiang.
The Taklimakan Desert Control Project is part of the Three Northern Regions Shelter Belt Forest Program, known as the world’s largest afforestation program to address desertification in north, northwest and northeast China. The program was launched in 1978 and is scheduled to be completed by 2050.
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