The Saihanba Afforestation Community clinched the Inspiration and Action Award due to its efforts to transform degraded land into a lush paradise. Saihanba, which covers 92,000 hectares, had by the 1950s become bare due to excessive logging, which allowed sandstorms to blow into Beijing from the northern deserts.

In 1962, hundreds of foresters began reclaiming the land by planting trees. Three generations of foresters have increased forest cover by 12 percent to 80 percent. The forest now supplies 137 million cubic meters of clean water to the Beijing and Tianjin areas annually, while discharging 550,000 metric tons of oxygen. It has spurred economic growth with green sectors, generating $15.1 million in 2016 alone.

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