France, April 19 -- The Taklamakan, in the vast Xinjiang region, is one of the driest deserts on Earth. Surrounded by mountains that block humid air, it has long been hostile to plant life.

China launched its Great Green Wall project in 1978 to slow the spread of deserts in the north of the country. The programme, which stretches across roughly 4 million square kilometres, is due to run until around 2050.

Authorities said in 2024 they had completed a green belt around the desert, planting 66 billion trees along roughly 3,000 kilometres.

A study published in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found this is already having an impact, with the region becoming greener, rainfall increasing and carbon absorption im...