China’s Ecological Revival: A Global Blueprint for Healing the Planet
Wenbo Zhang (Associate Professor, Institute of Ecology and Sustainability Development, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences)Lei Sheng (Professor, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences)
Abstract：Amid escalating global ecological crises—ranging from rising temperatures and species extinction to deforestation and desertification—countries around the world are grappling with the urgent challenge of safeguarding ecological security. As one of the nations most severely impacted by natural disasters, China has emerged as a proactive leader in ecological conservation and restoration, offering innovative solutions and wisdom to the world. In the fight against desertification, China has pioneered large-scale shelter forest systems and solar photovoltaic projects. These initiatives not only stabilize sand dunes but also generate clean energy, effectively reversing the expansion of deserts. In the realm of mining-area rehabilitation, China has transformed collapsed mining zones into thriving green spaces through land reclamation and ecosystem restoration. Meanwhile, its biodiversity protection efforts encompass rigorous zoning regulations within nature reserves, real-time species monitoring, and targeted scientific research to rebuild habitats and revive endangered populations. These strategies, rooted in both ambition and practicality, showcase China’s commitment to harmonizing development with ecological resilience. By sharing its case studies and methodologies, China is contributing globally actionable frameworks to heal degraded ecosystems—a testament to its evolving role as a steward of planetary sustainability.
The global ecological security situation remains concerning, with the trend of environmental degradation yet to be effectively curbed. On March 19, 2025, the World Meteorological Organization reported that the global average temperature in 2024 was 1.55°C higher than pre-industrial levels (1850–1900). Just days later, on March 24, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released two alarming reports in Rome: The Third State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and The Second State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources. These reports revealed that one-third of all tree species assessed are now threatened. Meanwhile, in July 2024, UNESCO’s World Soil Congress issued a stark warning: 90% of the Earth’s topsoil will have degraded by 2050.
Against this backdrop, ecological conservation and restoration have become an urgent global priority. China, a nation long plagued by natural disasters—from the relentless floods of the Yellow River to the encroaching deserts—has emerged as a leader in ecological recovery. According to NASA and Nature, China ’s greening efforts accounts for 42% of the world’s thanks to its massive afforestation campaigns, providing a example of Chinese wisdom and solutions to the planet.
Healing the Earth’s Cancer: Shelterbelts Reclaim Barrens to Life
Desertification, often dubbed the “Earth’s cancer,” is one of the toughest ecological challenges. China, among the hardest-hit nations, has fought back with large-scale green initiatives like the “Three-North” Shelterbelt Program, returning farmland to forests and grasslands, and sealing off degraded lands for restoration.Over 45 years, the Three-North Project has planted trees across 320,000 square kilometers, boosting forest coverage from 5.1% to 12.1%, benefiting 120 million people, and reducing desertified land by nearly 50%. In a landmark achievement, by November 2024, a 3,046-km green barrier encircling the Taklimakan Desert—the world’s largest shifting-sand desert—had been completed, locking down 337,600 square kilometers of dunes and forming the longest desert-edge ecological shield on Earth.Innovative techniques like solar-panel sand control and straw-checkerboard barriers have turned the tide in Xinjiang, shrinking sandy areas by 242.82 square kilometers over 30 years while generating $4.37 billion annually in desert-based industries. China’s success offers a blueprint for Central Asia and Africa in combating desertification.
Mending Nature’s Scars: Holistic Restoration Transforms Mining Wastelands
Mining scars the earth, stripping away vegetation, polluting water, and disrupting ecosystems. But China is healing these wounds through land reclamation, ecological restoration, and underground cavity filling.Take Huaibei’s Green Gold Lake in Anhui: Once a derelict mining pit, it’s now an 18-square-kilometer lake at the heart of a National Mining Park, drawing over a million visitors yearly and boosting nearby land value by $30 billion. In Shandong, advanced remote sensing and geological tech have restored 3,200 square kilometers of coal-mining subsidence zones, creating a sustainable “farmland above, filled pits below” model.
Reviving Wild Rhythms: Biodiversity Guardians Reawaken Nature’s Pulse
Wildlife and wild plants are the most essential components of the global community of life and a manifestation of the vitality of natural ecosystems. China has systematically advanced habitat protection through measures such as the construction of a national park system, spatial zoning management, species surveys, and scientific conservation, providing a favorable home for the survival and reproduction of wildlife and wild plants. From the Tibetan Plateau to tropical rainforests, China has achieved a balance between ecological protection and sustainable development through the national park system and community co-management models. The Sanjiangyuan National Park is China’s first national park pilot project. It integrates 15 protected areas, covering an area of 190,700 square kilometers, and safeguards the integrity of the ecosystem. It is the largest terrestrial national park in China and even in the world. After the establishment of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, 48 mining and hydropower construction projects were revoked. Instead, ecological protection and restoration projects such as desertification land control, degraded grassland improvement, and pest control were initiated, along with the construction of scientific patrol roads and environmental education bases. The park has established a strict zoning management system, prohibiting tourism activities in the core area and conducting ecological education through concession management in the general control area. The local herders and farmers within the national park have been transformed into ecological conservation officers, undertaking patrol duties without altering their traditional lifestyles. The park adheres to scientific conservation, collaborating with the government, universities, and environmental organizations to establish scientific research stations and molecular biology laboratories. It has also carried out genetic sequencing and migration tracking of rare animals such as the Saker Falcon. After nearly a decade of protection and restoration, the grassland coverage and forage yield in the Sanjiangyuan area have increased by more than 11% and 30%, respectively, compared to a decade ago. The populations of wild animals have significantly increased, with the Tibetan antelope population recovering from less than 20,000 in the 1980s to over 70,000.China’s ecological revival ranging from deserts, mines to forests proves that even the most damaged lands can heal—and that the world must act now to follow suit.
中国如何让荒漠复绿、矿山重生、生机再现摘
要：全球气温上升、物种灭绝、森林锐减、荒漠化等生态退化问题一直威胁着全球生态安全，并且难以得到有效遏制。作为全球受自然灾害影响最大的国家之一，中国积极推进生态保护和修复，并形成了全球生态保护和修复的中国方案和中国智慧。在荒漠化治理方面，中国通过防护林体系建设，光伏治沙等手段，遏制荒漠化的势头；在矿山生态修复方面，中国通过矿山塌陷区复垦、生态修复等手段，将矿山转变为生态空间；在生物多样性保护方面，中国通过自然保护区分区管控、物种调查监控和和科学研究等手段，保护野生动物家园，逐步恢复濒危物种。中国生态保护和修复的案例和经验，为全球生态系统修复贡献了中国方案、中国智慧。
当前全球的生态安全形势并不乐观，生态退化的趋势并未得到有效遏制。2025年3月19日，世界气象组织报告指出，2024年全球平均气温比工业化前的1850年至1900年间平均气温高1.55摄氏度。2025年3月24日，联合国粮食及农业组织（FAO）在意大利罗马发布了《世界粮食和农业植物遗传资源状况第三份报告》和《世界森林遗传资源状况第二份报告》。报告指出，在所调查的所有分类群中，约三分之一的树种受到威胁。2024年7月，联合国教科文组织国际土壤大会也向全球发出警告，到2050年，90%的地球表层土壤可能会退化。推进生态保护和修复已经成为全人类迫在眉睫的重要任务。中国从古至今都持续面临自然灾害的威胁，从治理黄河水患到沙漠锁边，中国在生态保护和修复的实践中取得了令人瞩目的成就，根据NASA、Nature的数据，中国的植树造林工作对全球绿化的贡献占比高达42%。也形成了中国智慧。
荒漠复绿：防护林体系建设治愈地球癌症
荒漠化被称为“地球癌症”，是全球生态领域的热点和难点问题。中国是世界上遭受荒漠化危害最严重的国家之一。通过积极推进“三北”防护林体系建设、退耕还林还草、沙化土地封禁保护修复等重点生态工程，中国在防沙治沙领域取得了举世瞩目的成就，为全球荒漠化治理贡献了中国智慧和中国方案。在“三北”工程45年的实践中，累计造林保存面积达32万平方千米，工程区森林覆盖率从5.1%提升至12.1%，直接惠及1.2亿人口，减少沙化土地面积近50%。2024年11月底，环绕塔克拉玛干沙漠边缘全长3046公里的绿色阻沙防护带实现全面锁边“合龙”，锁住33.76万平方公里的流动沙丘，成为全球最长环沙漠生态屏障。通过光伏治沙、草方格固沙等技术，新疆沙化土地面积30年间减少242.82平方公里，沙产业年产值达43.7亿元，为中亚、非洲等地区提供了可复制的治沙模式。
矿山重生：塌陷区综合治理抚平生态伤疤
矿产资源开采，破坏了地表植被、地下水源和生态系统，留下了触目惊心的生态伤疤。中国通过复垦、生态修复、采空区充填等一系列综合治理手段，推进矿区生态治理。安徽淮北绿金湖，通过塌陷区综合治理，将废弃矿坑转化为18平方公里湖面，建成国家矿山公园，每年吸引游客超百万人次，带动周边土地增值超300亿元。山东采煤塌陷地治理，运用遥感与地质探测技术，完成多个矿区复垦，修复土地超3200平方公里，打造“地上农田、地下采空区充填”的可持续模式。
生机再现：生物多样性保护恢复自然活力
野生动植物是地球生命共同体最重要的构成，更是自然生态系统活力的体现。中国通过国家公园体系建设、空间分区管控、物种考察和科学保护等举措，系统性推进栖息地保护，为野生动植物生存繁衍提供美好家园。从青藏高原到热带雨林，中国通过国家公园体系与社区共管模式，实现生态保护与可持续发展的平衡。三江源国家公园是中国首个国家公园试点，它整合了15个自然保护地，面积达19.07万平方公里，保护了生态系统的完整性，是中国乃至世界陆域面积最大的国家公园。三江源国家公园启动后，撤销了48个矿业和水电建设项目，转而开展沙漠化土地防治、退化草场改良、有害生物防治等生态保护修复项目，并配套建设科巡护道路、环境教育基地。三江源国家公园制定了严格分区管控制度，核心区禁止旅游活动，一般控制区通过特许经营开展生态教育，国家公园内的农牧民转变为生态管护员，在不改变原有生活方式的同时，承担国家公园巡护的工作。三江源国家公园坚持科学保护，联合政府、大学、环保组织建立科研工作站，建立了分子生物实验室，开展了猎隼等珍稀动物的基因测序和迁徙追踪。经过近十年的保护和修复，三江源地区草地覆盖率、产草量分别比10年前提高了11%、30%以上。野生动物种群明显增多，藏羚羊由20世纪80年代的不足2万只恢复到7万多只。（张文博，上海社会科学院生态研究所，副研究员；盛垒，上海社会科学院，研究员）
