China’s Tree-Planting Around the Taklamakan Desert Turns It Into a Carbon Sink

Decades of large-scale tree-planting efforts around China’s Taklamakan Desert have resulted in a remarkable environmental shift: what was once largely considered a barren “biological void” is now absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits, effectively functioning as a carbon sink.

The transformation is the result of the long-running Three-North Shelterbelt Programme, also known as the Great Green Wall. Since its launch in 1978, China has planted billions of trees along the margins of the Taklamakan and nearby Gobi Desert in a bid to combat desertification and restore vegetation. This effort has contributed to the country’s forest coverage rising from around 10 % in 1949 to more than 25 % in recent years.

New research, synthesizing 25 years of satellite and ground data on vegetation, precipitation, photosynthesis, and carbon fluxes, shows that vegetation around the desert’s edges has expanded significantly and is now taking up more CO₂ than the desert releases. This positive shift aligns closely with the timeline and locations of the tree-planting programme, demonstrating that human-led ecological restoration can enhance carbon sequestration even in extreme arid landscapes.

The findings suggest that strategic greening efforts in arid regions could play a role in broader climate mitigation strategies by increasing terrestrial carbon sinks — although ongoing monitoring and adaptive management remain critical for long-term sustainability.

Source: Live Science, “China has planted so many trees around the Taklamakan Desert that it’s turned this ‘biological void’ into a carbon sink,” February 11, 2026.