What kind of "re wildification" is needed? Xuelin Essay | Transforming "gray space" into "green space" for restoration | Ecology | Space
In recent years, the chirping of insects and birds has gradually increased in cities, and the scene of "white egrets flying in desert water fields, and yellow orioles singing in shady summer trees" in rural areas has become more and more common. The almost extinct "flagship species" of the Yangtze River Estuary, the finless porpoise, has returned
In the new era, ecological protection and restoration have received further attention and importance from the whole society. The transformation of "gray space" into "green space" through ecological restoration has laid a solid foundation for building ecological civilization and improving people's well-being.
Generally speaking, the objects of ecological protection and restoration are damaged natural ecosystems and urban and rural ecological spaces, with complex ecological structures and functions. Unlike general engineering construction projects that can directly function after completion, ecological restoration measures mainly based on manual intervention can quickly eliminate external threats and repair damaged structures, but they are difficult to restore ecological functions in the short term. Therefore, it is necessary to combine artificial restoration with natural restoration more organically to form a stable and healthy ecosystem, and effectively play the empowering role of ecological protection and restoration.
Taking Erhai Lake in Yunnan as an example, after nearly 20 years of unremitting treatment and strict protection, the water quality has gradually changed from turbid to clear, maintaining above the national Class III water quality standard. The rare and endangered plant seaweed, which has disappeared for many years, has returned to Erhai Lake.
In Dongtou, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, the restoration of degraded beaches has also driven the development of tourism, further increasing the income of villagers.
One important way to promote ecological protection and restoration is through "refolding". In the ecological protection and restoration practice of agriculture, forestry, and water towns carried out in Jinshan Corridor, Shanghai, we mixed Chinese fir and cattail to form a forest wetland composite system, and then left them to nature. Although the understory space in the early stages of wildness will be occupied by dominant species, the return of local plants and wild animals will gradually be observed. The comparative monitoring results show that the richness and number of bird species have significantly increased, and the forest wetland complex system has become a protected area and seed bank for local biological resources.
From a global practice perspective, ecological restoration and refolding are effective methods for enhancing regional biodiversity. However, it also has certain limitations. Because only when humans make concessions can they achieve harmonious coexistence with the wilderness, human activities in "re wilderness" areas are often strictly restricted. This is quite challenging for urban and rural areas, especially high-density mega cities, where production and living spaces are relatively tight.
In this regard, ancient Chinese people had rich ecological wisdom and exploration practices. In traditional Chinese culture, when discussing the relationship between humans and nature, in addition to emphasizing the unity of heaven and humanity, there is also the concept of "praising the cultivation of heaven and earth", advocating the assistance of heaven and earth to cultivate all things, in order to seek the way for human survival. This can be seen from Su Dongpo's achievements in governing West Lake.
In the fourth year of the Yuanyou reign of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi, who was over 50 years old, returned to Hangzhou to serve as the governor and found that "for ten years, the water has been shallow and horizontal, like clouds shrouding the sky, and suddenly it will be full. Even twenty years later, there will be no West Lake.".
Since the Tang Dynasty, West Lake has always been the water source of Hangzhou, where millions of people gather for food. However, due to factors such as sedimentation, West Lake is gradually facing the problem of swamping, seriously affecting urban water safety.
So, Su Shi wrote a letter titled "Begging to Open the West Lake in Hangzhou" and received financial support from the imperial court through the method of "granting imperial edicts". He mobilized the elderly in Hangzhou to dredge the lake and clear the fencao, restoring the Tang Dynasty's thirty mile old temple in one fell swoop.
He also emphasizes turning harm into profit by growing mud and grass piles into embankments to facilitate transportation between the north and south sides. At the same time, setting up a hole bridge water outlet inside the embankment effectively diverted the water flow from the west of the lake to the main lake area, reducing the unfavorable erosion and sedimentation situation during rainy and flood periods.
During the process of constructing embankments for the lake, Su Dongpo not only consciously solved livelihood issues such as urban water use and regional transportation, but also specifically opened up the lake surface for people to plant water chestnuts, expanding the function of West Lake. On the contrary, actively dredging by farmers also enhances the stability of the ecosystem.
In the vast historical literature, there are many vivid examples, such as the Taihu Lake Lake Lougang, Jiangnan polder, Hani terraces, Sangji fish ponds, etc. These long-standing ecological projects share a common characteristic, which is to search for low intensity and high efficiency artificial intervention methods that can be coordinated with the natural spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, and to construct a symbiotic system between humans and nature.
In this ancient ecological cognitive and practical system, the green mountains and clear waters themselves embody human wisdom and labor, and are indispensable infrastructure for human production and life. The secret to the success of these millennium old ecological projects, including West Lake, lies in finding the golden key to promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, transforming protection and restoration into conscious action and social consensus, and then reaching reconciliation with nature through thinking, forming a solid historical and cultural bond. As Su Dongpo once said, "If Hangzhou is without the West Lake, how can a person become a human again if their eyebrows and eyes are removed?"
On the other hand, in some places, ecological restoration projects are difficult to sustain shortly after completion due to various reasons, quickly losing their service functions or relying on high-intensity manual intervention, requiring continuous investment in a large amount of operation and maintenance funds to maintain fragile system stability. This has to be said to be a great regret.
Learning from nature, praising heaven and earth, nurturing all things, and giving birth endlessly. The best solution for ecological protection and restoration can be inspired by the ecological wisdom and practice of ancient people, which is based on the sustainable path of nature and humanity.
