Thanks to the cellular network and Wi-Fi on Zhaoshu, an island in the Xisha chain, simply scanning a QR code on a label hanging from a coconut tree will tell you who has adopted and financed it.

In February, Sansha city launched an online bidding campaign that allowed people to adopt 500 coconut trees. The campaign was so popular that all the trees been sponsored within 24 hours.

Wang Chun, head of the Qilianyu working committee who lives and works on Zhaoshu Island, told China Daily that a second round of adoptions may be held in July, with 300 to 500 trees available for sponsorship.

"There will be more such campaigns, and we are also exploring allowing people to adopt shell-dwelling invertebrates, such as mollusks, for nurturing," Wang said, adding that the animals would help to balance the marine ecology and purify the waters.

Xiao Jie, the mayor of Sansha, adopted the first coconut tree in the first batch.

"After the greening programs, which have been in operation for more than three years on islands — including Zhaoshu — have resulted in greater plant coverage, which has improved living conditions for the residents," he said.

Shi Guoning, head of Sansha's Bureau of Land Resources and Environmental Protection, said the completion of water desalination plants on islands in the Xisha chain has tackled a chronic shortage of fresh water and produced conditions that allow an increasing number of plants to thrive.