A report published on Sunday showed that China's land quality has maintained good momentum of steady improvement over the past three decades, with the country's soil becoming more fertile.
Released by the China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the report is based on more than 500,000 records from three phases of national-scale land geo-chemical monitoring data that were collected in 1995, 2016, and 2023, respectively.
The report revealed macro-level changes in China's land geo-chemical conditions over the past 30 years.
According to the report, the land of premium, good and medium grades accounts for 92.6 percent of the total across the country in 2023, up 0.4 percentage point from 1995, which suggests steady improvement in production and ecological functions of the country's land. "Land of medium grade and above can be understood as the land in 'relatively good condition.' On the one hand, it is relatively rich in nutrients, which could meet the basic needs for crop growth, while on the other hand it provides a favorable ecological environment," said Peng Min, head of the national land quality geo-chemical monitoring and evaluation project of the China Geological Survey.
According to report, among the major nutrient elements found in land, the content of nitrogen and phosphorus increased slightly overall during the monitoring period, while the content of potassium remained generally stable. The land of medium grade and above in terms of content of these nutrient elements rose by 7.2 percentage points, suggesting rising supply potential of soil nutrients. The content of trace elements essential for plants or the human body, including manganese, selenium, and iodine, also improved slightly overall.
"The supply potential of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three major nutrients in soil, is relatively strong. The rising proportion suggests the land is richer in nutrients needed for crop growth, which helps further ensure grain output," Peng said.
The report also said the land of medium grade and above in northeast and northwest China, as well as the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau has increased significantly during the monitoring period.
In Northeast China, the figure rose from 98.6 percent to 99.2 percent; in the Northwest, it grew from 94.5 percent to 95 percent; and in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, it climbed from 81.9 percent to 88.9 percent.
The median organic carbon content in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau increased by 141.4 percent over the monitoring period, signaling a huge ecological improvement.
"(For the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau), the substantial increase in organic carbon content indicates two things: first, the ecological environment on the plateau is further improving. Second, the region has absorbed a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, playing an important role in mitigating the global greenhouse effect," said Cheng Hangxin, a researcher from the China Geological Survey.
China's land quality improves over past 30 years: report
