Great Green Wall (China)
The Great Green Wall, officially known as the Three-North Shelter Forest Program (simplified Chinese: 三北防护林; traditional Chinese: 三北防護林; pinyin: Sānběi Fánghùlín), also known as the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, is a series of human-planted windbreaking forest strips (shelterbelts) in China, designed to hold back the expansion of the Gobi Desert[1] and provide timber to the local population.
Desertification, which involves either human or natural activity changing normal humid areas to dry desert conditions,[13] is a large and increasing problem faced by modern China.
In some instances, grass has reportedly started to grow beneath the panels, which purportedly aids in reducing soil erosion and supporting the local ecosystem.
[21] Additionally, solar panels have been documented to lower wind speeds at ground level, helping to prevent the movement of sand dunes and minimizing dust that can degrade the environment.
Though challenges such as sand buildup on panels and the costs associated with transporting energy from remote areas remain an issue, overall analysis of Landsat data indicates that solar projects have contributed to the greening of deserts in parts of China in recent years.
[23] According to Foreign Affairs, the Three-North Shelter Forest Program successfully transitioned the economic model of the Gobi Desert region from harmful farming agriculture to ecological-friendly tourism, fruit business, and forestry.
[24] In 2018, the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that the increase in forest coverage observed by satellites is consistent with Chinese government data.
[25] Zhang Jianlong, head of the forestry department, told the media that the goal was to sustain the health of vegetation and choose suitable plant species and irrigation techniques.
[29] Hong Jiang, a geography professor at the University of Wisconsin, worried trees could soak up large amounts of groundwater, which would be extremely problematic for arid regions like northern China.
[30] Dee Williams, a US Department of Interior anthropologist, pointed to China's past failures in anti-desertification efforts and suggested that planting trees is a temporary fix that could not change behavior.
[14] Research of reforested areas of the Loess Plateau has found that the combination of exotic tree species and high-density planting could worsen water shortages.
"China plants more trees than the rest of the world combined", says John MacKinnon, the head of the EU-China Biodiversity Programme, "but the trouble is they tend to be monoculture plantations.
Liu Tuo, head of the Desertification Control Office in the State Forestry Administration, believed that there are huge gaps in the country's efforts to reclaim the land that has become desert.
[34] Critics have also questioned the project's efficacy in stopping the Gobi Desert's spread, noting that the severe arid climate and poor soil quality make it challenging to maintain tree development over the long run.
[12] Furthermore, although the initiative has made significant progress in reforestation, it has not adequately addressed the fundamental socioeconomic drivers of desertification, including overgrazing and unsustainable farming methods.
