每年的6月17日“世界防治荒漠化与干旱日”（World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought) 由联合国于1994年设立，旨在提升全球防治土地退化意识。
近日，《自然》杂志发表文章《中国的“三北”防护林工程助力遏制全球荒漠化进程》及社论《中国“三北”防护林工程给世界的启示》，高度评价我国“三北”防护林工程的成果成效，并指出其可为全球其他地区特别是非洲地区提供借鉴。
文章指出，为应对土地干旱带来的挑战，全球众多国家启动了大规模防治荒漠化计划，其中规模最大的当属中国“三北防护林工程”。当前，一些国家的大规模防治荒漠化项目因缺乏持续的资金支持和项目后续维护而失败，中国“三北”工程却打破了这一魔咒。而其成功的关键在于长期的战略规划、可预测且持续的资金投入，以及注重鼓励绿化工程规划者借鉴历史经验。
A pair of recent Nature articles — one comment and one editorial — highlighted that while many countries and regions have launched programs to fight desertification, green wall projects in many countries beyond China have struggled to survive.
Yet China's great green wall — the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program — thrives, thanks to its long-term strategies and predictable funding that incentivize local people and businesses to invest in restoration.
“三北”工程是在中国西北、华北、东北三北地区建设的大型人工林业生态工程。工程于1978年启动，建设范围涉及13个省（自治区、直辖市），占我国陆地总面积约46.7% 。
《自然》杂志指出，自启动以来，工程推动三北地区森林覆盖率从约5%增长到2023年的约14%，受土壤侵蚀影响的面积减少2/3，沙尘暴的强度和发生频率显著降低，北京等受下风向影响的城市空气质量明显改善。
The Three-North program, a large-scale ecological afforestation project launched in 1978, covers 13 provincial-level regions across northwestern, northern and northeastern China. By 2023, it had nearly tripled forest cover — from about 5 percent to about 14 percent — while soil erosion had declined by two-thirds.
2025年10月20日，从空中鸟瞰甘肃省张掖市临泽县北部的“三北”防护林网 图源：东方IC
“三北”工程启动以来，中国政府持续加大荒漠化防治投入，制定出台《防沙治沙法》，将防沙治沙措施纳入各级政府发展规划。同时，通过激励措施吸引当地居民和企业投资生态修复项目，确保资金持续投入。
以库布其沙漠为例，当地企业和牧民开展荒漠化防治工作可获得低息贷款并享受税收减免政策，2010年以来此类贷款已吸引超过30亿元人民币投资。
As most green wall projects fail due to a lack of continued finance and maintenance, China has repeatedly committed to funding the project, and its incentives for local investment have ensured that the stream of funding never dries up.
In the Kubuqi Desert, for example, enterprises and herders can obtain low-interest loans and tax reductions for sand control, a policy package that has attracted more than 3 billion yuan in investment since 2010.
中国林业科学研究院首席科学家卢琦是“三北”工程的常客，对政府激励政策在工程推进中的重要作用有着切身体会。
在年初一次访问内蒙古自治区时，卢琦被当地工程人员的工作热情深深打动。尽管天气寒冷，治沙工作早在2月28日就开始了。卢琦表示，这种热情的首要原因是迫切需要建设一个更好的家园，政府的政策也使当地农民和牧民能够看到切实的利益。
“每个人都在赶着参与，他们的热情是无法抑制的。”卢琦说。
"Everyone is rushing to take part, and their enthusiasm is irrepressible," Lu said after a recent visit to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
《自然》杂志强调，随着气候变化使全球干旱地区进一步扩大，中国“三北”工程的借鉴意义也更加凸显。但文章同时也指出，由于法律和财政能力上的差异，中国的财政策略不能被简单复制。
对任何国家而言，切实可行的第一步是将防沙治沙从短期的林业项目提升为政府层面的长期责任。来自他国的外部援助应用于撬动国内配套资金，而非充当一次性现金注入。
But China's financial strategies cannot simply be replicated in countries with different laws and fiscal capacities.
"A practical first step for any country is to elevate sand control from a short-term forestry project to a long-term government-level obligation," the Nature comment said. "External aid should be used to leverage domestic cofinance, rather than serve as a one-off cash injection."
另外，资源较为匮乏的国家可以借鉴中国经验在村庄、道路和抽水站等高价值资产附近安装规模较小的光伏带。虽然这些项目需要大量的前期投资，但电力销售可以为维护提供可预测的收入。
In countries with fewer resources, smaller photovoltaic systems could be installed near high-value assets such as roads and water pumping stations. While these projects require substantial up-front investment, electricity sales could provide predictable revenue for maintenance.
《自然》杂志社论指出，各国政府需要将生态修复视为一项投资，而非成本。而中国“三北”工程的经验恰恰印证了这一点——当理念从“投入”转向“投资”后，回报非常显著。
The Nature editorial stressed that another key lesson from China's experience is that governments in other countries need to view ecological restoration as an investment, not as a cost.
记者：侯黎强
跟着China Daily
精读英语新闻
“无痛”学英语，每天20分钟就够！
热门跟贴