China Invests $12.3 Billion in Three-North Shelterbelt Project

China has invested 88.9 billion yuan (approximately US$12.3 billion) in central funds over the past three years for its ambitious Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, completing 244 million mu (about 16.27 million hectares) of afforestation tasks, according to an announcement from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on June 10, 2026. The massive ecological initiative, often called China’s “Green Great Wall,” aims to combat desertification across nearly half of the country’s land territory.

The Three-Year Campaign

Since the comprehensive launch of the Three-North project’s three major campaigns in June 2023, the central government has allocated 88.9 billion yuan across 544 projects, as CCTV News reported. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration confirmed that this means “on nearly half of China’s land territory, a green Great Wall in the northern frontier that blocks wind and sand from moving south is being rapidly consolidated.”

The announcement was also published by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, which serves as the lead implementing agency under the State Council.

Three Major Campaigns

The project’s current phase is organized around three major campaigns targeting the most critical ecological zones:

The Yellow River “Bend” Battle focuses on the winding bend of the Yellow River, where ecological degradation in key areas has been effectively curbed. In Yichuan County, Yan’an, a cliff afforestation team has spent over 20 years planting nearly 40,000 mu (2,667 hectares) and 2.8 million trees on vertical cliffs using innovative “stone pit, foreign soil” techniques, as China News Service reported.

The Horqin and Hunshandake Sandy Land Annihilation Battle targets two major sandy lands in Inner Mongolia and surrounding provinces, where the trend of “green advance, sand retreat” has significantly accelerated. Inner Mongolia alone undertakes 44% of the ecological construction and 60% of comprehensive desertified land treatment for the entire Three-North project.

The Hexi Corridor-Taklamakan Desert Edge Blockade Battle covers Gansu, Xinjiang, and western Inner Mongolia, consolidating wind-sand frontiers and controlling sand source expansion.

Historical Context and Future Targets

The Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, launched in 1978 and planned through 2050, is the world’s largest ecological afforestation project. It covers 13 provinces and 4.486 million square kilometers across northern China. Between 1978 and 2025, the project achieved 31.74 million hectares of preserved afforestation and treated 336,000 square kilometers of desertified land, with forest coverage in the project area reaching 13.84%, according to a State Council document issued in September 2025.

As of January 2026, the three campaigns had already completed over 200 million mu of tasks across 415 projects, the State Council reported.

Looking ahead, China’s 15th Five-Year Plan sets a target for forest and grass coverage in the project area to reach 40.9% by 2030, with vegetation cover on desertified land reaching 22%. By 2027, the government aims to complete over 70% of the current stage’s planning tasks. The long-term vision extends to 2050, targeting 43% forest and grass coverage and the near-complete treatment of treatable desertified land.

Innovation in Afforestation

The campaign has embraced technological innovation to overcome challenging terrain. Cliff afforestation teams in Yan’an now use UAVs (drones) to transport tree seedlings to inaccessible cliff areas — what team leader Wang Yonghong calls the “new team member.” Other innovative approaches include “road-based sand control,” “PV + sand control” combining solar power with desert management, and “industrial sand control” models that integrate economic development with ecological restoration.

Significance

The Three-North project represents one of the world’s most ambitious ecological restoration efforts. The 88.9 billion yuan investment over three years underscores China’s sustained commitment to combating desertification at an unprecedented scale. With integrated watershed management combining forest, grassland, wetland, and desert ecosystem approaches, the project is on a long-term trajectory that will shape China’s environmental landscape for decades to come.