Key practical points:
• Desertified areas are zoned, each with its own control measures.
• Grazing and plowing are restricted in fragile, desertification-prone areas.
• Afforestation and green belts to stabilize sand are encouraged.
• Those who rehabilitate sandy land may gain use and benefit rights over it.
• Destroying sand-stabilizing vegetation is prohibited.
Desert Prevention and Control Law · Yalla China
中华人民共和国防沙治沙法 / Law on Desert Prevention and Transformation
Enacted: 2001-08-31 ✅ Effective: 2002-01-01
📝 Overview
A law combating sand encroachment and desertification through afforestation, grazing control, and rehabilitating degraded land. It encourages individuals and firms to join control efforts.
This is general information only, not legal advice. For your specific case, consult a licensed lawyer.
📜 The law text / key provisions
💬 Practical reading
💬 This is a general reading/opinion for orientation — not the official legal text nor legal advice.
If you consider a farming or investment project in China's dry north, rehabilitating sandy land may grant you use rights. But protecting vegetation is mandatory. General orientation, not legal advice.
📎 Official source
npc.gov.cn
🕒 Updated: 16 March 2026