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China cabinet approves plan against desertification in years to 2020BEIJING, Jan 23, 2013 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The State Forestry Administration (SFA), China's top wildlife and forestry agency, said on its website Wednesday that a 10-year plan against desertification to combat desert sands, drafted by the SFA, had been approved by the State Council, or China's cabinet. According to the 2011- 2020 plan released on SFA website, China aimed to clear 20 million ha. (200,000 square kilometers) of desertification before the end of 2020. More than half of recoverable desert land in China would have been covered in vegetation by the end of 2020, said the SFA. According to government estimation in 2011, there were 530,000 square kilometers of deserts that could be restored through afforestation, protection and natural regeneration. (Edited by Ding Lei, [email protected]) |