A desert camping base in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in 2020. Celebrated on June 17, the World Day Against Desertification and Drought aims to raise awareness of international efforts to combat desertification. Photo: VCG

Residents in Faux-Cap, Madagascar, spend 120 days securing 75 hectares of dunes. Crops in the area are at risk of damage by the strong winds and dunes. Photo: The United Nations

Workers lay nylon net sand barriers in a town in Zhangye, Northwest China’s Gansu province, in April 2019. The nets intercept sand and slow down the wind. Photo: VCG

Sand barriers are set up in the desert of Linze county, Gansu, in April 2018. Made of wheat straw, the barriers help control sand and improve the local ecology. Photo: IC Photo

Two women water ammodendron saplings in a desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in June 2017. Photo: VCG

Reed grids are found on both sides of a desert highway in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 2014. The grids help with sand prevention and fixation Photo: VCG

The world’s largest desert centralized photovoltaic power generation base is set up in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, in September 2020. Photo: VCG

Iraqi workers plant trees around the holy city of Karbala, to prevent worsening desertification and sandstorms on May 12. Photo: IC Photo

The world’s oldest desert, the Namib desert in Namibia in 2013. Photo: VCG

A caravan of camels traverses the Liwa desert, west of Abu Dhabi, in 2013. Photo: VCG

An aerial view of the partially-buried abandoned village of Al-Madam, bordering the Gulf Emirate of Sharjah, in April 2021. Photo: VCG

A sculpture stands in a desert in Gansu in 2019. Photo: VCG

Yueya Bay, known for its crescent-shaped lake, is located in the desert in Zhangye, Gansu, in 2014. Photo: VCG

A dark asphalt road runs through the golden desert in Inner Mongolia on May 13. Photo: VCG