Areas of desertification and sandification - land on which soil has been lost - have continued to decline, the State Forestry Administration said on Tuesday.

Its latest survey showed that by the end of 2014, the desertified land area had dropped by 12,120 square kilometers to 2.6 million square kilometers. At the same time, sandified land area fell by 9,902 square kilometers to 1.7 million square kilometers.

Zhang Jianlong, director of the State Forestry Administration, said the results "are much more encouraging" when compared with 2009.

Besides the net reductions, Zhang said sandstorms in nearby regions have been reduced significantly, such as in Beijing.

However, Zhang said ecological preservation and combating desertification remain an arduous task.

"Currently, desertified land and sandified land accounted for over one-fourth and one-sixth of China's territory respectively, and is the most serious ecological issue in China," said Zhang. "During the 13th Five-Year-Plan period (2016-20), a total of 100,000 square kilometers of sandified land needs to be improved, which means 20,000 square kilometers needs to be improved annually. It requires tremendous effort to fulfill the task."

Meanwhile, it is hard to protect the restored land areas.

"The ecosystem and natural conditions in sandy areas are very fragile. It is easier to destroy than restore," added Zhang.

"The 300,300 square kilometers of land with significant sandification tendencies will easily become a sandland if not properly protected."