BEIJING: China faces the challenge of having only 30 percent of the world’s average forest area per capita, 40 percent of its farmland per person, and a mere 6 percent of its freshwater. Despite these constraints, the country is pursuing a modernization defined by harmony between humanity and nature for its 20 percent share of the global population.
China has demonstrated that limited natural resources do not necessarily hinder prosperity, and that development and conservation can coexist. By advancing an ecological civilization, China shows that these goals can complement each other.
One example is China’s booming non-timber forest economy. By the end of 2025, its total output value had surpassed 1.3 trillion yuan ($190.7 billion) — a significant increase from about 1 trillion yuan in 2024.
This success is not isolated. Nationwide, afforestation and grassland restoration efforts are accelerating. According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China completed nearly 3.6 million hectares of afforestation and restored or treated 4.9 million hectares of degraded grasslands in 2025 alone.
These achievements reflect a consistent political commitment. For 14 consecutive years, President Xi Jinping has participated in Beijing’s voluntary tree-planting event. Speaking at this year’s planting activity in the capital city on March 30, which marked the 45th anniversary of the nationwide voluntary tree-planting campaign, Xi called for mobilizing the whole of society to engage in afforestation.
He emphasized facilitating channels to realize the value of ecological products, as well as strengthening the forestry and grassland industries and simultaneously enhancing their economic and ecological benefits.
Xi also stressed the importance of improving quality, fostering industries and benefiting the people in advancing afforestation.
China’s efforts in promoting afforestation and the under-forest economy have benefited millions of people. Last year, the under-forest non-timber economy employed 34 million people, nearly as many as Peru’s population.
The under-forest economy encompasses various industrial models, including under-forest planting, under-forest farming, the collection and processing of related products, and the utilization of forest landscapes.
Wu Shourong, a professor at Beijing Forestry University’s School of Marxism, noted that this economy has become a pillar industry in some regions, helping farmers to achieve prosperity without deforestation.
“It has effectively resolved the perceived trade-off between rural employment, income growth and ecological protection,” Wu said ahead of Earth Day, which fell on Wednesday.
According to Wu, the economy allowed farmers to get rich without cutting down trees, while also enabling them to enjoy the tangible benefits of turning lucid waters and lush mountains into gold and silver mountains.
She said that China is addressing key bottlenecks in the economy, including land use, business operations, financing, technology and market access. The aim is to transform the sector into a large-scale, standardized model built around integrated industrial chains to promote high-quality forestry development. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
