Around 80 percent of the Maowusu Desert in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been brought under control thanks to local people's organized grass and tree planting efforts of over six decades.
Spanning 38,000 square kilometers, the Maowusu Desert stretches across parts of northwest China's Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia, with nearly 70 percent of its total area located within Ordos City in Inner Mongolia.
Anti-desertification efforts in the desert have been underway since the 1950s, with the implementation of a series of key national ecological projects.
"This used to be an endless expanse of desert, but now they are all my 'children,'" said Yin Yuzhen, a villager of Wushen Banner in Ordos City, located at the heart of the Maowusu Desert.
The "children" Yin referred to were the trees in the desert. Since the 1980s, Yin and her husband have been planting trees in the Maowusu Desert for over 30 years, turning over 4,000 hectares of sandy area into green land.
The Maowusu Desert has become a focal point for China's desertification control efforts. More than a dozen research stations have been established across the region, attracting leading experts in soil science, forestry, grassland management, and ecological restoration from nationwide.
The Maowusu Desert project is one of the main battlegrounds in the large-scale afforestation project -- Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP). It is also a testing ground for cutting-edge anti-desertification techniques and innovative approaches to ecological restoration.
Local communities now use advanced tools such as drones for seed broadcasting and robotic systems capable of planting trees in just 10 seconds, revolutionizing reforestation efforts.
These greening initiatives have introduced over 300 new plant species in the area, fostering a vibrant ecosystem where mammals like hares and foxes are now frequently spotted.
"I grew up in the heart of the Maowusu Desert, and I've planted trees and grass on this sandy land during my childhood. Currently, our city achieves an average daily desertification control area of over 1,000 hectares. Moving forward, we will continue to implement major national ecological restoration projects to consolidate further the achievements in managing the Maowusu Desert," said Suyalatu, director of the Ecological Environment Bureau of Ordos City.
Green efforts bring 80 pct of north China's Maowusu Desert under control
