China faces the challenge of having only 30 percent of the world's average forest area per capita, 40 percent of its farmland per person, and a mere 6 percent of its freshwater. Despite these constraints, the country is pursuing a modernization defined by harmony between humanity and nature for its 20 percent share of the global population.

China has demonstrated that limited natural resources do not necessarily hinder prosperity, and that development and conservation can coexist. By advancing an ecological civilization, China shows that these goals can complement each other.

One example is China's booming non-timber forest economy. By the end of 2025, its total output value had surpassed 1.3 trillion yuan ($190.7 billion) — a significant increase from about 1 trillion yuan in 2024.

This success is not isolated. Nationwide, afforestation and grassland restoration efforts are accelerating. According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China completed nearly 3.6 million hectares of afforestation and restored or treated 4.9 million hectares of degraded grasslands in 2025 alone.

These achievements reflect a consistent political commitment. For 14 consecutive years, President Xi Jinping has participated in Beijing's voluntary tree-planting event. Speaking at this year's planting activity in the capital city on March 30, which marked the 45th anniversary of the nationwide voluntary tree-planting campaign, Xi called for mobilizing the whole of society to engage in afforestation.

He emphasized facilitating channels to realize the value of ecological products, as well as strengthening the forestry and grassland industries and simultaneously enhancing their economic and ecological benefits.

Xi also stressed the importance of improving quality, fostering industries and benefiting the people in advancing afforestation.

China's efforts in promoting afforestation and the under-forest economy have benefited millions of people. Last year, the under-forest non-timber economy employed 34 million people, nearly as many as Peru's population.

The under-forest economy encompasses various industrial models, including under-forest planting, under-forest farming, the collection and processing of related products, and the utilization of forest landscapes.

Wu Shourong, a professor at Beijing Forestry University's School of Marxism, noted that this economy has become a pillar industry in some regions, helping farmers to achieve prosperity without deforestation.

"It has effectively resolved the perceived trade-off between rural employment, income growth and ecological protection," Wu said ahead of Earth Day, which fell on Wednesday.

According to Wu, the economy allowed farmers to get rich without cutting down trees, while also enabling them to enjoy the tangible benefits of turning lucid waters and lush mountains into gold and silver mountains.

She said that China is addressing key bottlenecks in the economy, including land use, business operations, financing, technology and market access. The aim is to transform the sector into a large-scale, standardized model built around integrated industrial chains to promote high-quality forestry development.

These achievements reflect a broader political vision that prioritizes nature in China's development strategy.

In 2013, while explaining to the third plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee the "Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Continuing the Reform", Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized improving natural resource management and oversight systems as essential for building an ecologically friendly country.

In 2019, a decision adopted by the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee outlined a top-level design for natural resource management, calling for an efficient resource utilization system. This framework includes provisions for a property rights system for natural resource assets, as well as systems for paid use, regulation, conservation and oversight mechanisms.

In 2023, the central authorities issued a plan to deepen reform of the collective forest tenure system, aiming to increase farmers' incomes and promote green development. The plan vows to establish a collective forest tenure system by 2025 with clear ownership, unified responsibilities and rights, strict protection, orderly circulation and effective supervision.

To implement the plan, Zhejiang province adopted the "One Share, Two Platforms" model, which involves pooling farmers' forest land use rights into cooperatives and managing them for economic gains. A State-backed platform consolidates forest land use rights from different cooperatives, while a market platform manages the forests for economic gains. Instead of owning or working on a specific plot of land, farmers simply receive annual dividends based on the forest's overall earnings.

This model addresses the challenges posed by decentralized forest management and the inadequate protection of farmers' interests. Over the past two years, 193,333 hectares of forest in Zhejiang have been transferred under this model, leading to significant growth in the province's forestry output value. In 2024, the province's total forestry output value reached 661 billion yuan.

Hu Kanping, a researcher at the China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, emphasized that the property rights system for natural resources is a core component of China's ecological civilization framework, calling it "the first pillar" that is foundational, prerequisite and catalytic.

"It acts as a bridge connecting ecological protection with green development," Hu said.

He said that the system serves as a constraint on environmental degradation and a driver of green growth, clarifying rights and responsibilities to establish a firm foundation for ecological protection, adding that it plays a crucial role in transforming "lucid waters and lush mountains" into "gold and silver mountains" by activating markets and opening pathways for green development.

Moreover, the system provides a foundation for fair distribution by solidifying rules for resource revenue allocation, he said.

Wu, the professor, stressed that China must utilize natural resources sustainably to achieve Chinese-style modernization.

"Today, China has built a comprehensive institutional framework for protecting and utilizing its natural resources, playing an important role in safeguarding our planet through effective, science-based Chinese solutions," she said.