Editing Reforestation (section)

=== Asia ===

==== China ====
{{See also|Afforestation#China}}

According to China's government, the forest coverage of the country grew from 10% of the overall territory in 1949 to 25% in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=China completes 3,000-km green belt around its biggest desert, state media says |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-completes-3-000-km-112549261.html |access-date=8 December 2024 |agency=Yahoo |publisher=Reuters |date=29 November 2024}}</ref>

China has introduced the [[Green Wall of China]] project, which aims to halt the expansion of the [[Gobi Desert|Gobi desert]] through the planting of trees. There has been a 47-million-hectare increase in forest area in China since the 1970s.<ref name="Owen">James Owen, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170907212622/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061113-forests.html "World's Forests Rebounding, Study Suggests"]. ''National Geographic News'', 13 November 2006.</ref> The total number of trees amounted to be about 35 billion and 4.55% of China's land mass increased in forest coverage. The forest coverage was 12% in the early 1980s and had reached 16.55% by 2001.<ref name="battling">Gittings, John (20 March 2001). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/mar/20/worlddispatch.china "Battling China's Deforestation".] ''The Guardian''.</ref>

China announced two large reforestation programs, the Natural Forest Protection Program and the Returning Farmland to Forest program, in late 1998.<ref name=":122">{{Cite book |last=Harrell |first=Stevan |title=An Ecological History of Modern China |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |year=2023 |isbn=9780295751719 |location=Seattle}}</ref>{{Rp|page=183}} The programs were piloted in [[Sichuan]], [[Shaanxi]], and [[Gansu]] in 1999.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} They became widely implemented in 2000.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} The Natural Forest Protection Program called for major reductions in timber harvest, forest conservation, and instituted logging bans in most of Sichuan, [[Yunnan]], [[Guizhou]], and [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]].<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} The program provided for alternative employment opportunities for former logging industry workers, including hiring them for reforestation work.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} The Returning Farmland to Forest program paid farmers to plant trees on less productive farmland and provided them with a yearly subsidy for lost income.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} In 2015 China announced a plan to plant 26 billion trees by the year 2025; that is, two trees for every Chinese citizen per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=China to plant 26 billion trees over next decade – People's Daily Online |url=http://en.people.cn/90882/7675458.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103715/http://en.people.cn/90882/7675458.html |archive-date=2015-04-02 |access-date=2015-03-12}}</ref>

Between 2013 and 2018, China planted 338,000 square kilometres of forests, at a cost of $82.88 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Breyer |first1=Melissa |date=January 11, 2018 |title=China is planting 16.3 million acres of forest this year |agency=Treehugger |url=https://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/china-planting-163-million-acres-forest-year.html |url-status=dead |access-date=7 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907182908/https://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/china-planting-163-million-acres-forest-year.html |archive-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> By 2018, 21.7% of China's territory was covered by forests, a figure the government wants to increase to 26% by 2035. The total area of China is 9,596,961 square kilometres (see [[China]]), so 412,669 square kilometres more needs to be planted.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chow |first1=Lorraine |title=China to Plant New Forests the Size of Ireland This Year |agency=Ecowatch |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/china-reforestation-project-2524893906.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1515797634 |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> According to the government's plan, by 2050, 30% of China's territory should be covered by forests.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Weida |title=China to increase forest coverage to 23 percent by 2020 |agency=GBTimes |url=https://gbtimes.com/china-to-increase-forest-coverage-to-23-percent-by-2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226184239/https://gbtimes.com/china-to-increase-forest-coverage-to-23-percent-by-2020 |archive-date=26 December 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[Saihanba National Forest Park|Saihanba]] Afforestation Community won the UN [[Champions of the Earth]] Award in the Inspiration and Action category for their successful reforestation efforts,<ref>{{cite web |title=A story of human bravery and beauty lost and regained. |url=https://web.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2017/saihanba-afforestation-community |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719202252/http://web.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2017/saihanba-afforestation-community |archive-date=2019-07-19 |access-date=2019-07-25 |publisher=Champions of the Earth}}</ref> which began upon discovering the survival of a single tree.<ref>{{cite web |title=China Focus: From a single tree to a forest – Saihanba's story |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-08/05/c_136502252.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728234302/http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-08/05/c_136502252.htm |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |access-date=2019-08-15 |publisher=Xinhuanet.com}}</ref>

From 2016 to 2021, 3976 square kilometers of forests were planted in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], with plans for 20 million trees to be planted before 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=China directs efforts to protecting ecological environment |url=http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=37121 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127235227/http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=37121 |archive-date=2022-01-27 |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=[[The Pyongyang Times]]}}</ref>

In the years 2012–2022 China restored more than {{convert|70|e6ha|km2}} of forests. China committed to plant and conserve 70 billion trees by the year 2030 as part of the [[Trillion Tree Campaign]].<ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=China will aim to plant and conserve 70 billion trees by 2030 as part of the global tree movement |url=https://www.weforum.org/press/2022/05/china-will-aim-to-plant-and-conserve-70-billion-trees-by-2030-as-part-of-the-global-tree-movement/ |access-date=3 June 2022 |website=World Economic Forum}}</ref>

The [[Jane Goodall Institute]] launched the Million Tree Project in Kulun Qi, [[Inner Mongolia]] to plant one million trees.<ref name="Shanghai Roots & Shoots">{{cite web |title=Shanghai Roots & Shoots – |url=http://www.jgi-shanghai.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224030000/http://www.jgi-shanghai.org/ |archive-date=2017-02-24 |access-date=2019-10-01 |work=jgi-shanghai.org}}</ref><ref name="The Million Tree Project">{{cite web |title=Million Tree Project :: Home |url=http://www.mtpchina.org |work=mtpchina.org}}</ref> China used 24 million hectares of new forest to offset 21% of Chinese fossil fuel emissions in 2000.<ref name="Canadell" />{{rp|1456}}

The Chinese government requires [[Mining industry of China|mining companies]] to restore the environment around exhausted mines by refilling excavated pits and planting crops or trees.<ref name=":123">{{Cite book |last=Zhan |first=Jing Vivian |title=China's Contained Resource Curse: How Minerals Shape State-Capital-Labor Relations |date=2022 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-04898-9 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom}}</ref>{{Rp|page=53}} Many mining companies use these recovered mines for [[ecotourism]] business.<ref name=":123" />{{Rp|pages=54-55}}

Launched in 1978 and scheduled to last until 2050, the Three Northern Protected Forest Development Program – informally known as the "[[Great Green Wall (China)|Great Green Wall]]" – aims to eventually plant nearly 90 million acres of new forest in a 2,800-mile stretch of northern China.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |last1=Luoma |first1=Jon |title=China's Reforestation Programs: Big Success or Just an Illusion? |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/chinas_reforestation_programs_big_success_or_just_an_illusion |access-date=23 October 2022 |website=YaleEnvironment360 |publisher=the Yale School of the Environment}}</ref>

Over 69.3 million hectares of forest were planted across China from 1999 to 2013. This large-scale reforestation contributed to China’s forests sequestering 1.11 ± 0.38 Gt carbon per yr over the period 2010 to 2016. This amounted to about 45 percent of the yearly greenhouse gas emissions during that period in China.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Xianghua |last2=Busch |first2=Jonah |last3=Huang |first3=Yingli |last4=Fleskens |first4=Luuk |last5=Qin |first5=Huiyan |last6=Qiao |first6=Zhenhua |date=2023 |title=Cost of mitigating climate change through reforestation in China |journal=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |volume=6 |bibcode=2023FrFGC...629216Z |doi=10.3389/ffgc.2023.1229216 |issn=2624-893X |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==== India ====
[[Jadav Payeng]] had received national awards for reforestation efforts, known as the "[[Molai forest]]". He planted 1400 hectares of forest on the bank of river [[Brahmaputra]] alone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kannadasan |first=Akila |date=2019-03-21 |title=Meet Jadav Payeng, India's Forest Man, who created 550 hectares of forest single-handedly |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/meet-jadav-payeng-a-man-who-created-550-hectares-of-forest-single-handedly/article26589168.ece |access-date=2020-11-30 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>  There are active reforestation efforts throughout the country. In 2016, India had more than 50&nbsp;million trees planted in [[Uttar Pradesh]] and in 2017, more than 66&nbsp;million trees planted in [[Madhya Pradesh]].<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-07-04 |title=Record 66 million trees planted in 12 hours in India |newspaper=ABC News |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-05/india-breaks-record-planting-66-million-trees-in-12-hours/8677302}}</ref> In addition to this and individual efforts, there are startup companies, such as Afforest,<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Afforestt |url=https://www.afforestt.com/about |access-date=2020-11-30 |website=www.afforestt.com}}</ref> that are being created over the country working on reforestation.<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-07-11 |title=The Man Who Has Created 33 Forests in India – He Can Make One in Your Backyard Too! |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/12212/forest-backyard-sustainable-environment-afforest/}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
Lots of plantation are being carried out in the Indian continent but the survivability is very poor especially for massive plantations, with less than 20% survivability rate. To improve the forest cover and to achieve the national mission of forest cover of 33%, there is a need to improve the methods of plantation. Rather than mass planting, there is a need to work on performance measurement & tracking of trees growth. Taking this into consideration, a non-profit organization [http://www.ekkadam.org Ek Kadam Sansthan] in [[Jaipur]] is leading the development of a module of mass tracking for plantations. The pilot has been done successfully and the organization is hoping to implement nationwide by the end of 2021.<ref name="Tracking of every plan">{{cite web |title="One Tree My Duty" |url=http://www.ekkadam.org |website=www.ekkadam.org |publisher=Ek Kadam}}</ref>

==== Japan ====
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery explain that about two-thirds of Japanese land is covered with forests,<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Report on Forest and Forestry in Japan |url=http://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/attach/pdf/index-64.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712184909/http://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/attach/pdf/index-64.pdf |archive-date=12 July 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan}}</ref> and it was almost unchanged from 1966 to 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Change in Forest Cover (2016) |url=http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/genkyou/h24/pdf/joukyou1_1_h24.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908130452/http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/genkyou/h24/pdf/joukyou1_1_h24.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, Forestry Agency}}</ref> Japan needs to reduce 26% of green house gas emission from 2013 by 2030 to accomplish Paris Agreement and is trying to reduce 2% of them by forestry.<ref>{{cite web |title=Promotion of International Efforts (2016) |url=http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/hakusyo/28hakusyo/attach/pdf/zenbun-4.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908130417/http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/hakusyo/28hakusyo/attach/pdf/zenbun-4.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery}}</ref>

Mass environmental and human-body pollution along with relating deforestation, water pollution, smoke damage, and loss of soils caused by [[Ashio Copper Mine|mining operations in Ashio]], Tochigi became the first environmental social issue in Japan, efforts by [[Shōzō Tanaka]] had grown to large campaigns against copper operation. This led to the creation of '[[Watarase River|Watarase]] Yusuichi Pond', to settle the pollution which is a [[list of Ramsar sites in Japan|Ramsar site today]]. Reforestation was conducted as a part of [[afforestation]] due to inabilities of self-recovering by the natural land itself due to serious [[soil pollution]] and loss of woods consequence in loss of soils for plants to grow, thus needing artificial efforts involving introducing of healthy soils from outside. Starting from around 1897, about 50% of once bald mountains are now back to green.<ref>{{cite web |title=日光 足尾 体験植樹 案内 |url=http://www.ashiomidori.com/%E4%BD%93%E9%A8%93%E6%A4%8D%E6%A8%B9%E3%81%AE%E3%81%94%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202020211/http://www.ashiomidori.com/%E4%BD%93%E9%A8%93%E6%A4%8D%E6%A8%B9%E3%81%AE%E3%81%94%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85/ |archive-date=2016-02-02 |access-date=2016-01-29}}</ref>

==== Pakistan ====
The [[Billion Tree Tsunami]] was launched in 2014 by planting 10 billion trees, by the provincial [[Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)]] and [[Imran Khan]], as a response to the challenge of global warming. Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restored 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass its [[Bonn Challenge|Bonn Challenge commitment]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 11, 2017 |title=Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restores 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass Bonn Challenge commitment |url=https://www.iucn.org/news/forests/201708/pakistan%E2%80%99s-billion-tree-tsunami-restores-350000-hectares-forests-and-degraded-land-surpass-bonn-challenge-commitment |website=IUCN}}</ref>

In 2018, [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Pakistan's prime minister]] [[Imran Khan]] declared that the country will plant [[10 Billion Tree Tsunami|10 billion trees]] in the next five years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chow |first1=Lorraine |date=30 July 2018 |title=Pakistan's Next Prime Minister Wants to Plant 10 Billion Trees |agency=Ecowatch |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/pakistans-prime-minister-plant-10-billion-trees-2591203191.html |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref>

In 2020, the Pakistani government launched an initiative to hire 63,600 laborers to plant trees in the northern Punjab region, with indigenous species such as [[acacia]], [[mulberry]] and [[Moringa (genus)|moringa]]. This initiative was meant to alleviate unemployment caused by [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]] to mitigate the spread of [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan's virus-idled workers hired to plant trees |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/pakistan-virus-idled-workers-hired-plant-trees-200429070109237.html |access-date=2020-05-02 |website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=COVID-19: Pakistan's 'green stimulus' scheme is a win-win for the environment and the unemployed |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/green-stimulus-pakistan-trees-coronavirus-covid10-enviroment-climate-change/ |access-date=2020-05-02 |website=World Economic Forum |date=30 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Philippines ====
In 2011, the Philippines established the National Greening Program as a priority program to help reduce poverty, promote food security, environmental stability, and biodiversity conservation, as well as enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation in the country. The program paved the way for the planting of almost 1.4 billion seedlings in about 1.66 million hectares nationwide during the 2011–2016 period. The [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the [[United Nations]] ranked the Philippines fifth among countries reporting the greatest annual forest area gain, which reached 240,000 hectares during the 2010–2015 period.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 January 2018 |title=PH reforestation program sees steady growth in 2017 |language=en |work=Philippine News Agency |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1018485 |access-date=24 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111221316/https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1018485 |archive-date=11 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Galvez |first1=Manny |date=21 February 2016 |title=Philippines 5th out of 234 countries on forest gain |work=The Philippine Star |url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/21/1555647/philippines-5th-out-234-countries-forest-gain |access-date=12 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919153203/https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/21/1555647/philippines-5th-out-234-countries-forest-gain |archive-date=19 September 2018}}</ref>

==== Thailand ====
Efforts are being made in [[Thailand]] to restore the land after 800,000 [[hectare]]s of forest have been destroyed in exchange for [[cash crop]] land to grow [[maize]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=Halting Deforestation, an Agroforestry Approach |url=https://www.wwf-scp.org/halting-deforestation-agroforestry/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=WWF-SCP |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Agroforestry]] has become part of the solution to fix the damage caused by deforestation. Agroforestry would affect the agriculture and atmosphere in Thailand in numerous ways. By planting a combination of different tree species, these trees are able to change the microclimatic conditions.<ref name=":15" /> [[Nutrient cycle|Nutrient cycling]] also occurs when trees are incorporated in the agricultural system.<ref name=":15" /> It is also probable that the [[soil erosion]] that occurred as a result of deforestation can be mediated when these trees are planted.<ref name=":15" />