ULAN BATOR, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia will establish an independent forestry agency next year to combat desertification, the country's Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene said Thursday.
He made the announcement while introducing national budget plans for 2022 to the parliament, saying that the new agency was part of the cabinet's efforts to support the "Billion Trees" tree-planting campaign.
The campaign was officially launched on Oct. 4. Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh earlier told the United Nations General Assembly that the country aims to combat climate change and desertification through the campaign.
The Asian country has a total land area of 1,564,116 square km and only 7.9 percent is now covered by forests.
Around 77 percent of the country's total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation, according to the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Enditem
