Variation in vegetation greenness along China’s land border

Fourteen countries share about 22000 km land border with China, but not much is known about the variation in vegetation in such a large diverse area. By employing the remotely-sensed vegetation indices the vegetation greenness along the border was discussed. Our results show that since the early 21st century, similar trends in vegetation greenness have occurred along most of China’s border, but differences occurred on either side of the border. Along the border with North Korea and South Asian nations, greater increasing trend in vegetation greenness occurred inside China’s border, suggesting that China’s vegetation protection programs have been successful. Spatial and temporal variations in vegetation greenness trends were observed along China’s border with Russia, Mongolia, and Central Asian nations. Vegetation variation was lower inside China, along the Russian border, and China’s eastern border with Mongolia. Along most borders with Central Asian nations, rates of vegetation change inside China’s border during the growing season were higher than the rates outside the border. The results suggest that social customs, resource exploitation patterns, and national environmental conservation programs may profoundly affect vegetation greenness.