China’s ‘Straw Checkerboards’ Fight Desert Spread

For fifty years, millions of workers in China have employed the “straw checkerboard” technique in northern China’s deserts to stabilize sand dunes and encourage plant growth. This method, part of the Three-North Protective Forest Program, also known as the Green Great Wall, involves creating a grid pattern with sticks and planting saplings within each square.

The initiative began in 1978 to reverse decades of land degradation caused by drought, overgrazing, and farming. Since 2000, China has reduced its desertified land by over 1,000 square kilometers annually, with forest cover in the program area increasing from 5% in 1978 to 14% in 2022.

Scientists acknowledge the progress but emphasize the need for continued long-term commitment and investment to maintain these gains, particularly as questions remain about sustaining conservation efforts with reduced intervention. The success of the program relies on a combination of human labor, planning, and, recently, favorable climate conditions.