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Researchers warn that the country’s push to hold back its deserts could strain water resources.
China has planted billions of trees over the past four decades as part of its fight against expanding deserts, mostly in its north. Each year, the country sows seedlings over an area nearly the size of Ireland. It is even sharing its desert-control methods with others as part of its massive Belt and Road trade initiative.
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Nature 573, 474-475 (2019)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02789-w
This article is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 media outlets to highlight the issue of climate change.
References
Liang, L., Chen, F., Shi, L. & Niu, S. PLoS ONE 13, e0205885 (2018).
Huang, J., Ma, J., Guan, X., Li, Y. & He, Y. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 36, 922–937 (2019).
Prăvălie, R., Bandoc, G., Patriche, C. & Sternberg, T. CATENA 178, 209–231 (2019).
Hua, F. et al. Biological Conservation 222, 113-124 (2018).
Feng, X. et al. Nature Clim. Change 6, 1019–1022 (2016).
Ge, J., Pitman, A. J., Guo, W., Zan, B. & Fu, C. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-397 (2019).
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