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72-544: The Chongqing–Huaihua railway was one of the 10 major projects in the Chinese government's campaign to develop western regions in 2000. The completion of the line shortened railway travel time from Chongqing to Zhangjiajie from 16 hours to 8 hours. In September 2009, construction began on a second track for the Yuhuai railway between Fuling and Chongqing. This work was completed and put into use on 28 December 2013. Double-tracking of

144-625: A few branches of new shoots are cut and often used for charcoal, itself a major driver of deforestation. Since new seeds are not planted, it is cheaper. Additionally, they are much more likely to survive as their root systems already exist and can tap into groundwater during harsher seasons with no rain. While this method has existed for centuries, it is now sometimes referred to as farmer-managed natural regeneration or assisted natural regeneration . Policies that promote reforestation for incentives in return have shown promising results of being an effective and motivative concept to re-plant globally on

216-408: A large share of low-income countries' populations, and argues for prioritized inclusion of "local communities" in forest restoration projects. There are calls for a more selective approach to identifying reforestation areas, taking into account the possible displacement of customary land uses. Reforesting sometimes results in extensive canopy creation that prevents growth of diverse vegetation in

288-418: A mass scale. Some incentives for reforestation can be as simple as a financial compensation. A compensated reduction of deforestation approach has been proposed which would reward developing countries that disrupt any further act of deforestation: Countries that participate and take the option to reduce their emissions from deforestation during a committed period of time would receive financial compensation for

360-570: A non-profit organization Ek Kadam Sansthan in Jaipur is leading the development of a module of mass tracking for plantations. The pilot has been done successfully and the organization is hoping to implement nationwide by the end of 2021. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery explain that about two-thirds of Japanese land is covered with forests, and it was almost unchanged from 1966 to 2012. Japan needs to reduce 26% of green house gas emission from 2013 by 2030 to accomplish Paris Agreement and

432-549: A particularly pernicious effect of the Western Development Program. Despite the fact that Guizhou received 53.3 billion yuan in infrastructure construction in 2001 alone, more than the total amount given by the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1995–2000), its foreign capital declined from US$ 40.9 million in 1999 to $ 29.29 million in 2001, an astonishing 31% decline, reaching its lowest point since 1997. Contrary to what

504-446: A prescribed allotment of 60 yuan per mu by the central policy. A further complication is farmer dissatisfaction when the government fails to deliver on its contract, since the local government usually bases compensation on actual production value, resulting in compensation between 20 and 50 yuan, plus a 300 jin appropriation of grain. Farmers who are temporarily benefiting from the compensation will soon rely on governmental subsidy once

576-514: A range of different challenges. Reforestation can compete with other land uses, such as food production, livestock grazing, and living space, for further economic growth. Reforestation can also divert large amounts of water from other activities. A map created by the World Resources Institute in collaboration with the IUCN identifies 2 billion hectares for potential forest restoration and

648-517: A set of disadvantages, for example biodiversity loss . Lastly, there is also the problem that stored carbon is released at some point. The effects of reforestation will be farther in the future than those of proforestation (the conservation of intact forests). Instead of planting entirely new areas, it might be better to reconnect forested areas and restore the edges of forest. This protects their mature core and makes them more resilient and longer-lasting. It takes much longer − several decades − for

720-622: A substantial growth in foreign investment in the western regions, from US$ 1,837.35 million in 1999 to $ 1,922.19 million in 2001. However, not all areas in the western region shared in this progress. While foreign direct investment in Chongqing grew US$ 17.56 million between 1999 and 2001 (from US$ 238.93 million to $ 256.49 million), foreign investment in Guizhou, Guangxi and Ningxi declined significantly, dropping about US$ 19.71, $ 250.96 million, and $ 34.54 million respectively. The situation in Guizhou reveals

792-403: A sufficient level of development, they should help the interior regions develop. Jiang Zemin sought to address the regional imbalances, holding the belief that underdevelopment made the western region at risk for social discontent and foreign interference. In March 1999, he proposed a developmental strategy for the western region at the 9th National People's Congress . He would elaborate on

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864-415: A yearly subsidy for lost income. In 2015 China announced a plan to plant 26 billion trees by the year 2025; that is, two trees for every Chinese citizen per year. Between 2013 and 2018, China planted 338,000 square kilometres of forests, at a cost of $ 82.88 billion. By 2018, 21.7% of China's territory was covered by forests, a figure the government wants to increase to 26% by 2035. The total area of China

936-644: Is 9,596,961 square kilometres (see China ), so 412,669 square kilometres more needs to be planted. According to the government's plan, by 2050, 30% of China's territory should be covered by forests. In 2017, the Saihanba Afforestation Community won the UN Champions of the Earth Award in the Inspiration and Action category for their successful reforestation efforts, which began upon discovering

1008-434: Is criticized for including 900 million hectares of grasslands. An assessment of the pledges of governments for reforestation found that the sum of global pledges translates to a required land area of 1.2bn hectares, until 2060, which is equal to a tenth of the global land area und thus deemed unrealistic without a significant encroachment on non-forest areas. Experts are calling for a better integration of social data, such as

1080-433: Is defined as the re-establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land classified as forest. Afforestation on the other hand means establishing new forest on lands that were not forest before (for example, abandoned agriculture). It is the process of restoring and recreating areas of woodlands or forests that may have existed long ago but were deforested or otherwise removed at some point in

1152-424: Is that forests can turn from sinks to carbon sources. In 2019 forests took up a third less carbon than they did in the 1990s, due to higher temperatures, droughts and deforestation . The typical tropical forest may become a carbon source by the 2060s. Researchers have found that, in terms of environmental services, it is better to avoid deforestation than to allow for deforestation to subsequently reforest, as

1224-414: Is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation , clearcutting or wildfires . Three important purposes of reforestation programs are for harvesting of wood , for climate change mitigation , and for ecosystem and habitat restoration purposes. One method of reforestation

1296-401: Is to establish tree plantations , also called plantation forests. They cover about 131 million ha worldwide, which is 3% of the global forest area and 45% of the total area of planted forests. Globally, planted forests increased from 4.1% to 7.0% of the total forest area between 1990 and 2015. Plantation forests made up 280 million ha ( hectare ) in 2015, an increase of about 40 million ha in

1368-796: Is used to refer to tree nurseries and Christmas tree farms . Plantation forestry can produce a high volume of wood in a short period of time. Plantations are grown by state forestry authorities (for example, the Forestry Commission in Britain) and/or the paper and wood industries and other private landowners (such as Weyerhaeuser , Rayonier and Sierra Pacific Industries in the United States or Asia Pulp & Paper in Indonesia). Christmas trees are often grown on plantations, and in southern and southeastern Asia, teak plantations have recently replaced

1440-677: The 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party . For these purposes, the western region is defined as Sichuan, Gansu, Guizhou, Yunnan, Qinghai, Shaanxi, the municipality of Chongqing, Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Tibet. The main components of the strategy include the development of infrastructure (transport, hydropower plants, energy, and telecommunications), enticement of foreign investment , increased efforts on ecological protection (such as reforestation ), promotion of education , and retention of talent flowing to richer provinces. The western development bureau affiliated to

1512-587: The Green Wall of China project, which aims to halt the expansion of the Gobi desert through the planting of trees. There has been a 47-million-hectare increase in forest area in China since the 1970s. The total number of trees amounted to be about 35 billion and 4.55% of China's land mass increased in forest coverage. The forest coverage was 12% two decades ago and now is 16.55%. China announced two large reforestation programs,

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1584-738: The State Council released a list of 10 major projects to launch in 2008, with a combined budget of 436 billion yuan (64.12 billion U.S. dollars). These projects included new railway lines connecting Guiyang and Guangzhou , Lanzhou and Chongqing , Kashgar and Hotan in Xinjiang; highways between Wanyuan and Dazhou in Sichuan Province, Shuikou and Duyun in Guizhou Province; airport expansion projects in Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an. They also include

1656-510: The carbon sequestration benefits of reforestation to become similar to those from mature trees in tropical forests . Therefore, reducing deforestation is usually more beneficial for climate change mitigation than is reforestation. Many countries carry out reforestation programs. For example, in China, the Three Northern Protected Forest Development Program – informally known as the " Great Green Wall " –

1728-498: The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the air, forests function as terrestrial carbon sinks , meaning they store large amounts of carbon in the form of biomass, encompassing roots, stems, branches, and leaves. Throughout their lifespan, trees continue to sequester carbon, storing atmospheric CO 2 long-term. Sustainable forest management , afforestation , reforestation are therefore important contributions to climate change mitigation. An important consideration in such efforts

1800-593: The Million Tree Project in Kulun Qi, Inner Mongolia to plant one million trees. China used 24 million hectares of new forest to offset 21% of Chinese fossil fuel emissions in 2000. The Chinese government requires mining companies to restore the environment around exhausted mines by refilling excavated pits and planting crops or trees. Many mining companies use these recovered mines for ecotourism business. Launched in 1978 and scheduled to last until 2050,

1872-858: The Natural Forest Protection Program and the Returning Farmland to Forest program, in late 1998. The programs were piloted in Sichuan , Shaanxi , and Gansu in 1999. They became widely implemented in 2000. The Natural Forest Protection Program called for major reductions in timber harvest, forest conservation, and instituted logging bans in most of Sichuan, Yunnan , Guizhou , and Tibet . The program provided for alternative employment opportunities for former logging industry workers, including hiring them for reforestation work. The Returning Farmland to Forest program paid farmers to plant trees on less productive farmland and provided them with

1944-498: The Three Northern Protected Forest Development Program – informally known as the " Great Green Wall " – aims to eventually plant nearly 90 million acres of new forest in a 2,800-mile stretch of northern China. Over 69.3 million hectares of forest were planted across China from 1999 to 2013. This large-scale reforestation contributed to China’s forests sequestering 1.11 ± 0.38 Gt carbon per yr over

2016-579: The West's economic development. While massive investment has been accompanied by a boost in GDP across all western regions, the broader policy has failed to achieve its goal of eliminating the economic gap between China's East and West. Initiatives encouraging Chinese from wealthier and more crowded regions of China to move to the less crowded western regions has resulted in population growth in several cities, most notably Qinghai with its increase of 12.6%. Nevertheless,

2088-455: The West. Farmland conversion to forest and grassland is the dominant strategy for this effort, targeting specifically the regions crucial to the Yangtze's protection. In Sichuan, the government aims to protect the 19.23 million hectares of existing forest and plant an additional 2.93 million hectares of new forest to diminish the amount of silt flowing into the Yangtze. Around 20,000 mu of farmland

2160-473: The World Bank in China. Although the project seems to be going successfully, it creates a potential fiscal burden for the government. Massive farmland conversion requires a tremendous amount of funding for resettling the farmers. In addition, to compensate farmers for their loss in agricultural profit, the state has committed to supplying them with grains and funds for planting trees and grass. This results in

2232-503: The building of hydropower stations, coal mines, gas and oil transmission tube lines as well as public utilities projects in western regions. The Qinghai-Tibet railway project set a milestone in Tibet's local development, connecting Tibet with central China. Prior to its completion, Tibet could not be reached by railway. The Big Western Line is a proposal for diverting water from the upstream sections of six rivers in southwestern China to

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2304-442: The carbon dioxide emissions that they avoided. To raise the payments, the host country would issue government bonds or negotiate some kind of loan with a financial institution that would want to take part in the compensation promised to the other country. The funds received by the country could be invested to help find alternatives to the extensive cutdown of forests. This whole process of cutting emissions would be voluntary, but once

2376-451: The case of timber species, volumic wood production and stem straightness. Forest genetic resources are the basis for genetic alteration. Selected individuals grown in seed orchards are a good source for seeds to develop adequate planting material. Planting new trees often leads to up to 90% of seedlings failing. However, even in deforested areas, existing root systems often exist. Growth can be accelerated by pruning and coppicing where

2448-454: The country has agreed to lower their emissions they would be obligated to reduce their emissions. However, if a country was not able to meet their obligation, their target would get added to their next commitment period. The authors of these proposals see this as a solely government-to-government agreement; private entities would not participate in the compensation trades. Another emerging revenue source to fund reforestation projects deals with

2520-546: The country working on reforestation. Lots of plantation are being carried out in the Indian continent but the survivability is very poor especially for massive plantations, with less than 20% survivability rate. To improve the forest cover and to achieve the national mission of forest cover of 33%, there is a need to improve the methods of plantation. Rather than mass planting, there is a need to work on performance measurement & tracking of trees growth. Taking this into consideration,

2592-474: The dependence of livelihoods on specific land uses, into restoration efforts. Possible solutions include the integration of other land uses into forests through agroforestry , such as growing coffee plants under trees, reducing the delineation between forests and other land uses. A study found that almost 300 million people live on tropical forest restoration opportunity land in the Global South , constituting

2664-413: The depletion of biodiversity which can hinder medicinal discoveries, and alter gene flow in organisms. A debated issue in managed reforestation is whether the succeeding forest will have the same biodiversity as the original forest. If the forest is replaced with only one species of tree and all other vegetation is prevented from growing back, a monoculture forest similar to agricultural crops would be

2736-688: The dry areas of northern China through a system of reservoirs, tunnels and natural rivers. Some of the southwestern rivers include the Mekong , the Yarlung Tsangpo and the Salween . The Big Western Line is a possible element of the South–North Water Transfer Project . The project was one of the most controversial proposals as of 2006 . As part of the program, China's five large state-owned hydropower companies planned, underwrote, and built

2808-436: The economic growth rate of China's East continues to exceed that of the West, causing the western share of domestic product to continue to fall. The West's contribution to the GDP decreased from 20.88% in 1990 to 17.13% in 2000. Relative levels of GDP per capita in the West decreased from 73.30% in 1990 to 60.87% in 2000. In 1990, Shanghai's per capita GDP was 7.3 times that of Guizhou, the poorest province in China; by 2000,

2880-477: The energy sector. About 75% of Guizhou's foreign investment was channeled into manufacturing and 15% to real estate development. Because the campaign's economic program is strongly central planned, the campaign has actually discouraged foreign investment, working against its original intent. Foreseeing significant environmental impacts in the massive infrastructure development program, the state highly publicizes environmental preservation in its campaign to open up

2952-910: The entire line was completed in December 2020. This People's Republic of China rail-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . China Western Development China Western Development ( 西部大开发 ) is an economic policy applied in Western China as part of the effort to reduce imbalances in development between China's coastal regions and its interior. The policy covers six provinces ( Gansu , Guizhou , Qinghai , Shaanxi , Sichuan and Yunnan ), five autonomous regions ( Guangxi , Inner Mongolia , Ningxia , Tibet and Xinjiang ), and one municipality ( Chongqing ). Despite making up 71.4% of mainland China , this region holds only 28.8% of its population (as of 2002 ) and 19.9% of its total economic output (as of 2015 ). In 1978, under

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3024-478: The environmental project questionable. Furthermore, while the environmental project is critically emphasized in the campaign, very little has been discussed on the impact of intensified coal extraction, increased thermal plant operation, reservoir inundation, and transportation and transmission line construction, all of which create a more detrimental impact to the environment that the environmental program can compensate for. Reforestation Reforestation

3096-498: The figure had grown to 12.9 times. Evidence from the China Statistical Yearbook also confirms the increasing economic gap between China's West and East, indicating that the east-to-west GDP ratio increased from 2.98 in 1980 to 4.33 in 2000. Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative built upon the strategies of Jiang's Western development efforts. Since the introduction of economic reform and open-door policy in 1978,

3168-613: The forest to be replanted after felling . In such circumstances, the industry can cut the trees in a way to allow easier reforestation. Reforestation, if several indigenous species are used, can provide other benefits in addition to financial returns, including restoration of the soil , rejuvenation of local flora and fauna, and the capturing and sequestering of 38 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare per year. There are four primary ways in which reforestation and reducing deforestation can increase carbon sequestration and thus help with climate change mitigation. First, by increasing

3240-494: The former leads to irreversible effects in terms of biodiversity loss and soil degradation . The effects reforestation has on biodiversity is not limited to just other forms of vegetation, it can affect all forms of living organisms all contained in the present ecosystem. Due to the major role trees have on ecosystems it is important to better understand components like the ecosystem, waterways, and species present in areas that are being re-planted. Prior research helps limit

3312-831: The future than keeping existing forests intact. It takes much longer − several decades − for the benefits for global warming to manifest to the same carbon sequestration benefits from mature trees in tropical forests and hence from limiting deforestation. Therefore, scientists consider "the protection and recovery of carbon-rich and long-lived ecosystems, especially natural forests" to be "the major climate solution ". Plantation forests are intensively managed, composed of one or two species, even-aged, planted with regular spacing, and established mainly for productive purposes. Other planted forests, which comprise 55 percent of all planted forests, are not intensively managed, and they may resemble natural forests at stand maturity. The purposes of other planted forests may include ecosystem restoration and

3384-484: The government has encouraged companies to promote reforestation tactics through the promises of a tax break. As many landholders seek to earn carbon credits through sequestration, their participation also encourages biodiversity and provides ecosystem services for crops and livestock. There is often insufficient integration between the different purposes of reforestation, namely economic utilization, enhancement of biodiversity and carbon sequestration. This can lead to

3456-425: The latter leads to irreversible effects in terms of biodiversity loss and soil degradation . Furthermore, the probability that legacy carbon will be released from soil is higher in younger boreal forest. Global greenhouse gas emissions caused by damage to tropical rainforests may have been substantially underestimated until around 2019. Additionally, the effects of afforestation and reforestation will be farther in

3528-558: The leadership of Deng Xiaoping , the People's Republic of China began to reform its economy by changing from a command economy to a market economy . The coastal regions of eastern China benefited greatly from these reforms, and their economies rapidly grew. In contrast, regions in the western half of China lagged behind economically. In 1988, Deng described the strategic concept of "two overall situations," stating that while coastal areas should speed their economic development, once they reached

3600-626: The majority of dams on the Lancang River and its tributaries. Foreign-invested enterprises in the west region operating in specified industries received a preferential corporate income tax rate of 15% as well as 50% for three years after graduating from the basic tax holiday. Foreign enterprises in transportation , electricity , water conservancy, mail services, and broadcasting had a full tax exemption for 2 years and 50% tax relief for an additional three years afterwards. China's attempts to develop its western regions have had varied effects on

3672-473: The natural forest. Industrial plantations are actively managed for the commercial production of forest products. Industrial plantations are usually large-scale. Individual blocks are usually even-aged and often consist of just one or two species. These species can be exotic or indigenous. The plants used for the plantation are often genetically altered for desired traits such as growth and resistance to pests and diseases in general and specific traits, for example in

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3744-412: The past or lacked it naturally (for example, natural grasslands ). Reforestation is not only used for recovery of accidentally destroyed forests. In some countries, such as Finland , many of the forests are managed by the wood products and pulp and paper industry . In such an arrangement, like other crops, trees are planted to replace those that have been cut. The Finnish Forest Act from 1996 obliges

3816-519: The peatlands in Central Africa, which house an abundance of carbon in the mud called peat. Much like the forest fire or insect outbreak which can harm tropical rainforests, money can also be seen an incentive to harm forests and be paid off to protect it. The global greenhouse gas emissions caused by damage to tropical rainforests may be underestimated by a factor of six. Also the possible harvesting and utilization of wood from reforested areas, limits

3888-757: The period 2010 to 2016. This amounted to about 45 percent of the yearly greenhouse gas emissions during that period in China. Jadav Payeng had received national awards for reforestation efforts, known as the " Molai forest ". He planted 1400 hectares of forest on the bank of river Brahmaputra alone. There are active reforestation efforts throughout the country. In 2016, India had more than 50 million trees planted in Uttar Pradesh and in 2017, more than 66 million trees planted in Madhya Pradesh . In addition to this and individual efforts, there are startup companies, such as Afforest, that are being created over

3960-499: The permanence of carbon sequestered through reforestation. For example, it was found that nearly half of the pledges under the Bonn Challenge were areas earmarked for commercial wood use. Additionally the effects of afforestation and reforestation will be farther in the future than those of proforestation (the conservation of intact forests). It takes much longer − several decades − for the benefits for global warming to manifest to

4032-519: The plan in June 1999, during which the phrase great western development was used, marking the start of the policy. In a development symposium in Xi'an that month, Jiang stated that increasing development in the western and central regions of China was a matter of political and social significance, as well as economic significance. Premier Zhu Rongji visited the western region to gather western officials' views of

4104-661: The plan. Consequently, the State Planning Commission drafted an early plan for the proposal before submitting it to the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in November 1999. A Leadership Group for Western China Development (西部地区开发领导小组) was created by the State Council in January 2000, led by Zhu. The plan for western development was formally put forward during the fifth plenary session of

4176-468: The previous ten years. Of the planted forests worldwide, 18% of that area consists of exotic or introduced species while the rest consist of species native to the country where they are planted. There are limitations and challenges with reforestation projects, especially if they are in the form of tree plantations. Firstly, there can be competition with other land uses and displacement risk. Secondly, tree plantations are often monocultures which comes with

4248-441: The previous ten years. Of the planted forests worldwide, 18% of that planted area consists of exotic or introduced species while the rest consist of species native to the country where they are planted. A tree plantation, forest plantation , plantation forest, timber plantation or tree farm is a forest planted for high volume production of wood, usually by planting one type of tree as a monoculture forest. The term tree farm also

4320-529: The protection of soil and water values. Plantation forests cover about 131 million ha, which is 3 percent of the global forest area and 45 percent of the total area of planted forests. Over 90% of the world's forests regenerate organically, and more than half are covered by forest management plans or equivalents. Globally, planted forests increased from 4.1% to 7.0% of the total forest area between 1990 and 2015. Plantation forests made up 280 million ha ( hectare ) in 2015, an increase of about 40 million ha in

4392-493: The province's economy through mega-projects such as Guizhou's west–east electricity transfer project. The strengthening of central control over the economy has eroded the trust of foreign investors. In the case of Guizhou, while the Chinese central government intended to attract foreign investment in the power sector through the West-East Electricity Transfer Project, only 5% of foreign investment entered

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4464-463: The result. However, most reforestation involves the planting of different selections of seedlings taken from the area, often of multiple species. There is also the risk that, through a forest fire or insect outbreak , much of the stored carbon in a reforested area could make its way back to the atmosphere. Furthermore, the probability that legacy carbon will be released from soil is higher in younger boreal forests. An example of this can be seen in

4536-432: The sale of carbon sequestration credits, which can be sold to companies and individuals looking to compensate their carbon footprint. This approach allows for private landowners and farmers to gain a revenue from the reforestation of their lands, while simultaneously benefiting from improved soil health and increased productivity. Alongside past financial incentive strategies, reforestation tax benefits have been another way

4608-418: The same carbon sequestration benefits from mature trees in tropical forests and hence from limiting deforestation. Some researchers note that instead of planting entirely new areas, reconnecting forested areas and restoring the edges of forest, to protect their mature core and make them more resilient and longer-lasting, should be prioritized. There are some implementation challenges China has introduced

4680-435: The shadowed areas and generating soil conditions that hamper other types of vegetation. Trees used in some reforesting efforts (for example, Eucalyptus globulus ) tend to extract large amounts of moisture from the soil, preventing the growth of other plants. The European Commission found that, in terms of environmental services, it is better to avoid deforestation than to allow for deforestation to subsequently reforest, as

4752-496: The state had intended, the West-East Electricity Transfer Project in Guizhou only assured the continued increase in foreign investment on the coast, as most of the electricity generated in Guizhou was transmitted to Guangdong. Tim Oakes, associate professor of geography at the University of Colorado at Boulder, argues that the decline of foreign investment in certain western regions is a consequence of Beijing's attempt to recentralize

4824-582: The survival of a single tree. From 2016 to 2021, 3976 square kilometers of forests were planted in the Tibet Autonomous Region , with plans for 20 million trees to be planted before 2023. In the years 2012–2022 China restored more than 70 million hectares (700,000 km ) of forests. China committed to plant and conserve 70 billion trees by the year 2030 as part of the Trillion Tree Campaign . The Jane Goodall Institute launched

4896-470: The tree-planting project is completed. 81,000 tons of grain, 154 million yuan in cash subsidies and 266 million yuan for tree saplings to almost 800,000 farming households have already been spent in Shaanxi. If the provincial government decides to honor its commitment for another 5–8 years, it will cost a total of 11.7 billion yuan in grain and cash subsidies. The heavy financial cost makes the sustainability of

4968-535: The volume of existing forest. Second, by increasing the carbon density of existing forests at a stand and landscape scale. Third, by expanding the use of forest products that will sustainably replace fossil-fuel emissions. Fourth, by reducing carbon emissions that are caused from deforestation and degradation. Forests are an important part of the global carbon cycle because trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis . Therefore, they play an important role in climate change mitigation . By removing

5040-494: The western region has been in a disadvantageous economic position because it promises a less lucrative return to the investors than its eastern competitors. Therefore, one of the major objectives of the Open Up the West initiative was to bring in foreign investment by creating a more stable investing environment through infrastructure construction. This was a success for the western development project at some level, for statistics shows

5112-491: Was converted in Guizhou in 2001, a key region for Yangtze preservation. In Shaanxi, 571,000 hectares of farmland and 427,000 hectares of wasteland were converted to forest or grass between 1999 and 2002. Another 280,000 hectares of farmland and the same expanse of wasteland were converted in 2003. China's environmental program in the west has made China “one of a few countries in the world that have been rapidly increasing their forest cover,” according to David Dollar, director of

5184-606: Was launched in 1978 and scheduled to last until 2050. It aims to eventually plant nearly 90 million acres of new forest in a 2,800-mile stretch of northern China. Such programs often blur the boundaries between reforestation and afforestation (the latter being the establishment of a forest in an area where there was no forest before). Reforestation according to the IPCC means the "conversion to forest of land that has previously contained forests but that has been converted to some other use". According to FAO terminology, reforestation

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