Saihanba Afforestation Community, Champion of the Earth 2017 for Inspiration and Action
1,873 views · Published 5 December 2017 · 2:37 · Indexed 20 October 2026
Channel: UN Environment Programme · 2017 · Science & Technology
Saihanba Afforestation Community is UN Environment Champion of the Earth 2017 for transforming degraded land into a lush paradise. Saihanba, which covers 92,000 hectares and borders the southern edge of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, had by the 1950s become barren due to excessive logging, allowing sand to blow into Beijing from the northern deserts. In 1962, hundreds of foresters began planting trees in the area. Three generations of these foresters have increased forest cover from 12 to 80 per cent. The forest now supplies 137 million cubic meters of clean water to the Beijing and Tianjin areas each year, while discharging c. 550,000 metric tons of oxygen. It has spurred economic growth with green sectors, generating USD15.1 million in 2016 alone.
