TAIYUAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Northern China's coal-rich Shanxi Province will see its afforestation area increase by about 183,000 hectares in 2019 amid efforts to strengthen ecological protection, the provincial forestry authorities said.

The province will also restore 4,000 hectares of degraded forest this year, and about 26,000 hectares of hillside will be closed to facilitate afforestation, according to the provincial forestry and grassland bureau.

The provincial budget will inject 300 million yuan (44.7 million U.S. dollars) to support the afforestation project.

Located on the Loess Plateau, Shanxi has long been plagued by soil erosion. The province aims to increase its forest coverage from 20.5 percent at the end of 2018 to 26 percent in 2025.