A view of Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region. [Photo by Daqiong/chinadaily.com.cn]

Forty-three million seedlings of various types have been planted on more than 21,200 hectares of land in the northern and southern mountains of Lhasa, Tibet, regional authorities said on Thursday at a news conference.

The afforestation project aims to turn the capital city into a greener, more ecological and livable place for its residents, the region's forestry and grassland department said.

Launched in 2021, the afforestation project covers nine counties and districts and 35 townships around Lhasa and Lhokha. The execution period of the project is 10 years (2021-30), with trees planned for 137,800 hectares when the job is done, it said.

Supporting projects, including water conservancy, electrical power and roads in the 2022-23 period have all been completed.

Besides making Lhasa a more ecologically livable place for people, the afforestation also provides job opportunities. Nearly 1 billion yuan ($137 million) has been paid to workers.

In August last year, Lhasa launched a green public welfare project, a fundraising activity carried out under the leadership of the region's charity federation, with support from 17 "Aid Tibet" provinces and cities.

Thanks to the fundraising, the project has received donations of more than 51 million yuan. The donations were made by 198 work units, along with 5,874 personal donations.

Meanwhile, more than 1.33 million seedlings of different plants have been donated by Gansu province's Xiahe county, Yulin city in Shaanxi province and the city of Shigatse, Tibet.