URUMQI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 2.5 billion yuan (394 million U.S. dollars) in grassland subsidies and awards has been granted to ensure grassland conservation in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since the beginning of this year, according to a government report.

Xinjiang has 57 million hectares of grassland, 65 percent of which is used for grazing. More than 80 percent of the grassland had been damaged because of climate change and overgrazing.

In 2012, Xinjiang launched a group of grassland conservation programs to prohibit grazing, maintain a balance in animals and grazing, and provide subsidies to improve grass breed varieties.

The report said the grazing prohibition area in Xinjiang has reached 10 million hectares over the past five years. More than 46 million hectares of grassland in the region were granted subsidies to ensure grassland conservation during the period.

Since 2016, more than 7.4 billion yuan has been given in subsidies for grassland conservation in the region, benefiting 300,000 households of local nomads.