Why in News?
China’s Three-North Protective Forest Program (TNPFP), popularly known as the Great Green Wall, has significantly reduced desertification, though scientists stress that long-term efforts are still needed.
Key Highlights
- Launched in 1978 to combat desertification in northern China.
- Covers the northeast, north and northwest regions of China.
- Uses *Straw Checkerboards, a technique in which straw is arranged in square grids to stabilize sand dunes, reduce wind erosion, retain soil moisture and enable saplings to take root.
- Forests created under the programme now cover about 5,00,000 sq. km.
- Since 2000, desertified land has reduced by over 1,000 sq. km annually.
- Overall desertified land has shrunk by around 10%, while severely desertified areas have declined by over 40%.
- Forest cover in the programme area increased from 5% (1978) to 14% (2022).
- More than 300 million rural workers have contributed to the programme.
What is Desertification?
- Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas due to climatic variations and human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable farming.
Significance
- Reduces sandstorms and soil erosion.
- Improves ecological restoration and carbon sequestration.
- Demonstrates the importance of sustained policy support and community participation in combating land degradation.
UPSC Prelims Value Addition
- Great Green Wall: Also called the Three-North Protective Forest Program (TNPFP).
- Launched: 1978.
- Technique Used: Straw Checkerboards for sand dune stabilization and afforestation.
- Related Convention: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
[2016] What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’?
- It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.
- It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions.
- It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
[A] 1 only
[B] 2 and 3 only
[C] 1 and 3 only
[D] 1, 2 and 3