Pingtan, the largest island in E China’s Fujian province was notorious for its harsh ecology. 

But now, groundbreaking changes have taken place thanks to the continuous efforts on the greening efforts of the municipal government. In 2019, Pingtan also received the title of “National Forest City,” making it a more livableand habitableplace for people.

500 mu (33.33 hectares) of the Casuarina trees are spotted on both sides of Around-the-Island Road near the Longwangtou Beach.

But just a few years ago, it was a swath of barren desert land. “This area is battered by northeasters all year round. The protective forest mainly based on Casuarina has brought favorable results,” said Chen Gang, an engineer from the Natural Resource Service Center of Pingtan.

To the west of Pingtan, Xingfuyang Sandy Land, a 27,000 mu (1,800 hectares) plot of sandy land has received an impressive makeover from the Go Green Campaign. From 2012 to 2018, the forestry department planted 23,500 mu (1,566.67 hectares) of Casuarina trees, a natural windbreaker, and improved the ecology and living environment of surrounding villages. "The improvement also benefitted the crops and fields in the village as they are now well-protected from the battering winds. Sandstorms have also greatly reduced. Tourists can climb up the observation deck in the east of the village to see thousands of acres of forests, which is very spectacular," said Lin Tengcai, secretary of the Maju Village in Junshan Area.

In 2021, statistics show that about 14,926 mu (995.07 hectares) of land underwent afforestation and environmental overhaul. These include 13,414 mu (894.27 hectares) of ecological barrier afforestation (including forest tending), 761 mu (50.73 hectares) of urban greening, and 751 mu (50.07 hectares) of rural greening, with a forest coverage rate of 38.71%. 7.53 million trees, including 2.8 million green seedlings and 4.73 million ecological seedlings were sowed islandwide. Lush greenery spread in every corner of the island putting together a picturesque garden city in Fujian.  

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