Efforts to enclose the desert with trees began in 1978 with the launch of China's "Three-North Shelterbelt" project, colloquially known as the Great Green Wall. More than 30 million hectares (116,000 square miles) of trees have been planted.

China has created a 3,000-kilometer-long green belt of trees surrounding the Taklamakan Desert to combat sandstorms and desertification. Initiated in 1978 as part of the Three-North Shelterbelt project,

China has successfully encircled the Taklamakan Desert, the country’s largest and the world’s second-largest shifting desert, with a 1,900-mile (3,050-kilometer) green belt of vegetation and solar-powered sand-blocking technology.

Just completed multi-decade project in Xinjiang region is intended to help prevent desertification and boost local economies.