HOHHOT, Jan. 19 -- Construction of a national desert park has began in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to the local forestry department.

The park will be located in the heartland of the one-million-hectare Ulan Buh Desert, the eighth largest of China. With a planned area of 353 hectares, it is expected to be completed by 2032, a spokesperson with the department said on Sunday.

The park is designed to become a tourist destination showcasing and promoting knowledge of the desert ecosystem, said the spokesperson.

The local authorities have been working to restore the desert to arable land, with a 191-km-long swath of forest set up on its eastern edge to prevent the desert from expanding.