BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- China completed 127 million mu (about 8.47 million hectares) of land greening in 2025, according to the National Forestry and Grassland work conference held on Thursday.
The annual achievement, covering an area roughly equivalent to Austria's total land area, included 53.45 million mu of afforestation and 73.9 million mu of degraded grassland restoration.
The country's forest coverage rate now stands at 25.09 percent, with a forest stock volume of 20.99 billion cubic meters, it added.
Last year, a total of 29.2 billion yuan (about 4.17 billion U.S. dollars) in central investment was allocated to support 337 key projects.
According to the conference, China completed 549 million mu of land greening during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), including 185 million mu of afforestation.
The country has achieved a consecutive reduction in both desertified and sandy land areas, becoming the first in the world to reach "zero growth" in land degradation, it said.
For the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), forestry authorities will continue to expand, revitalize and protect green spaces, with a focus on major ecological projects. More efforts will be made to advance the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, implement forest quality improvement initiatives to enhance carbon sequestration, and restore degraded grasslands to strengthen their ecological and productive functions. ■
