Some 1,000 participants join in an annual tree planting event in Ordos' Kubuqi Desert, on April 22. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An annual tree planting activity took place in the Kubuqi Desert in the Ordos city region, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on April 22, the day marking this year's Earth Day.

The start of major projects was announced on the day, including the restoration of degraded forests planned by the State in the Kubuqi Desert. Also announced was groundbreaking of the Kubuqi 2-megawatt Photovoltaic Sand Control Project in the West Inner Mongolia Base, being developed by the Elion Group.

The Kubuqi Desert is the seventh largest desert in China, with a total area of 18,600 square kilometers. It is located on the south bank of the Yellow River's Ji-shaped bend. The tree-planting season there takes place about a month later than those in the central and eastern parts of the country.

April 22 every year is also Kubuqi Arbor Day. Since its establishment in 2005, it has continued for 18 years without interruption.

The Kubuqi Desert is the seventh biggest in China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Kubuqi 2MW Photovoltaic Sand Control Project in the West Inner Mongolia Base is located in the Kubuqi Desert. The ecology and environment there were once extremely fragile and it is in one of the more serious desertification and soil erosion areas in Inner Mongolia and even China.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the Elion Group plans to build sand controls and river protection carbon sink forest belts in the Kubuqi Desert, Wulanbuhe Desert and Tengger Desert in the Yellow River Basin.

In 2021, a planting program involving 20 million trees was completed as scheduled. In 2022, planting under solar panels and desert ecological planting will be continued to ensure the completion of the planting of another 20 million trees.