North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region achieved major breakthroughs in ecological restoration in 2025, completing restoration tasks across 50.62 million mu (3.37 million hectares), including 23.68 million mu of desertification control, maintaining the largest scale nationwide.

Under the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, notable progress was made across key zones. Along the Yellow River's "Great Bend", a 620-kilometer protective forest and grass belt was fully connected, forming an expanding green barrier.

In the Horqin and Hunshandake sandy lands, all mobile dunes in nine counties and banners were eliminated, supported by 2,528 km of desert-crossing roads and the stabilization of 4.64 million mu of shifting sand, restoring grassland landscapes.

In western regions, 336.8 km of shelterbelts were built along the edges of the Badain Jaran and Tengger deserts, strengthening the windbreak system of the Hexi Corridor.

Innovative approaches continued to gain traction. Inner Mongolia completed 90,800 mu of under-panel treatment in photovoltaic desert control projects, advanced 15 million mu of interprovincial joint prevention and control land, and raised the mechanized sand control rate to 54 percent.

Through work-for-relief programs, 1.81 billion yuan ($259.87 million) in labor payments were distributed, helping 123,000 farmers and herders increase their incomes.

Forest and grassland governance also reached a new level. In 2025, measures to address grassland overgrazing were fully implemented across 102 regions and units, covering 99 percent of the region's grasslands. More than 30 million mu of grassland was reseeded or improved, while the illegal grazing rate during rest periods in Hulunbuir fell by 35.7 percentage points year on year.

Biodiversity conservation advanced in parallel. The Daqing Mountain Nature Reserve joined the World Biosphere Reserves Network, three wetlands in the region were added to the national list of important wetlands, and the Hanma Biosphere Reserve successfully passed its 10-year evaluation.