Leave a picturesque ecological space protection for future generations | Ecology | Space

In the plain sea of Wuliang, birds fly and fish fly. Thanks to the successful implementation of dozens of "Chinese Landscape Engineering" projects, green mountains and clear waters have reappeared, reducing one million cubic meters of yellow sand from flowing into the Yellow River annually.

Clear waters and green mountains, fragrant fruits. On the east bank of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, at the Yangshan Apricot and Plum Base in Laocheng Town, Xichuan County, Henan Province, apricot and plum trees hang all over the branches. Planter Wang Zhongyu said, "This year, fruit sales can exceed 1.5 million yuan!"

Chinese path to modernization is a kind of modernization in which man and nature coexist harmoniously.

Data is the best proof. In the past decade of the new era, the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands has completed a total of over 80 million acres of governance, and has repaired 2000 kilometers of coastline. The forest coverage rate has reached 24.02%... From the Yangtze River to the Jiuqu Yellow River, and from the Northeast Plain to tropical rainforests, a scene of "green mountains without ink, a thousand autumn paintings, and green water without strings, a thousand ancient qin" is slowly unfolding.

On the new journey, various regions and departments are truly focusing on practical work, taking on responsibilities, and continuously shaping new driving forces and advantages for development through high-level environmental protection, striving to write a new chapter in the construction of ecological civilization in the new era.

Plan with higher positioning, wider vision, and greater efforts to build a comprehensive pattern of protection and governance from the mountaintop to the ocean

China, whose per capita natural resources are much lower than the world average, has gone through the industrialization process that Western countries took hundreds of years to complete in just a few decades, and ecological and environmental problems have also become increasingly prominent in rapid development.

China has vast land and a long coastline, and relevant departments and regions are working together to build a comprehensive pattern of protection and governance from the mountaintop to the ocean.

——Set a red line and strengthen the bottom line of ecological protection.

In Anji County, Zhejiang Province, the ecological protection red line is distributed in 14 areas, accounting for nearly 1/5 of the county's total area. The bamboo sea covering the mountains, fresh air, and murmuring streams allow tourists to stroll in a beautiful environment. Zhang Yi, Director of the Anji County Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, said, "Projects that do not comply with the control rules within the red line are strictly prohibited from entering."

The ecological protection red line is the bottom line and lifeline for ensuring and maintaining national ecological security. Implement a red line to control important ecological spaces, ensuring that ecological functions do not decrease, area does not decrease, and nature does not change.

It is understood that the delineation of ecological protection red lines in China has been fully completed. Zhang Bing, Director of the Land and Space Planning Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that China has designated areas with extremely important ecological functions, extremely fragile ecology, and potential important ecological value as ecological protection red lines. The actual designated area in land and sea areas is about 3.19 million square kilometers. "By delineating the red line, the national ecological security barrier pattern of 'three zones and four belts' has been firmly established."

——Optimize mechanisms and innovate ecological protection systems.

Cuiyun Corridor in Jiange County, Sichuan Province, features winding ancient roads and towering ancient cypresses. Here is the most well preserved ancient artificial planted cypress road group to date. This cannot be achieved without the long-term protection of mechanisms such as forest tenure.

To promote the construction of ecological civilization, it is necessary to establish a sound institutional framework and ensure the implementation of the system. Originating from grassroots innovation and achieving top-level design, the forest tenure system is a major institutional innovation in the field of ecological civilization. At present, the goal of establishing a forest chief system has been achieved nationwide as scheduled, with nearly 1.2 million forest chiefs guarding the vast forests and seas. In the vast mountains and forests, there are people managing the mountains, people creating the forests, people protecting the trees, and people taking responsibility.

Data shows that in the past decade of the new era, China has carried out large-scale land greening actions, with a total afforestation area of 1.02 billion mu, and the area of artificial forests has remained the world's largest. In the past 20 years, about 1/4 of the newly added green area worldwide has come from China.

——Strengthen management and protection, and strengthen ecological protection efforts.

The sea breeze brushes against the shore, and the mangroves sway with the wind, with rustling branches and leaves... In Leqing Bay, Zhejiang Province, the meandering distribution of mangroves is embedded in the bay, forming a unique scenic line.

Strengthening the construction of marine ecological civilization is an important component of ecological civilization construction. In recent years, various regions and departments have adhered to land sea coordination and river sea linkage, and carried out major marine ecological protection and restoration projects such as the "Blue Bay" rectification action, the mangrove protection and restoration special action, and the coastal zone protection and restoration project. A total of 2000 kilometers of coastline and 600000 acres of coastal wetlands have been rectified and restored. The area of mangrove forests in China has reached 438000 acres, an increase of about 108000 acres from the beginning of this century, making it one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in mangrove forest area.

Adhere to the system concept, solidly promote the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands

The mountains and rivers are clear, the forests are lush, the fields are fertile, the lakes are beautiful, and the grass is green, which is the hope of the people. To leave a picturesque ecological space for future generations, we need to seek new ways of governance.

We need to coordinate the ecological protection and restoration of forests, grasslands, wetlands, and deserts, strengthen the coordination and management of all elements of sand control, water control, and mountain control, and focus on cultivating healthy, stable, and fully functional forest, grassland, wetland, and desert ecosystems.

——Coordinate governance and restoration.

The dark and glossy mountain is surrounded by a bay of clear water drawn from the Qi River, climbing up the trail to the mountaintop platform, providing a panoramic view of the volcanic basalt geological relics... The volcanic geological relics park in Xiapang Village, Qibin District, Hebi City, Henan Province, is surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, attracting tourists in droves.

"We will integrate the management of mining geological environment with the ecological restoration of Qihe River, the transformation of inefficient forests, and the comprehensive land improvement. The abandoned 'Heishantou' has become an ecological leisure park," said Gao Guiqing, project leader of the Hebi City Natural Resources and Planning Bureau.

Overall management and restoration, the greening of mines is a microcosm. Lu Lihua, Deputy Director of the Land and Space Ecological Restoration Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that in recent years, the Ministry of Natural Resources has focused on the ecological restoration of historical heritage mines in areas such as the main and tributaries of the Yangtze River, the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, the Fenwei Plain, and the Yellow River Basin, and has completed a total of 4.35 million mu of governance area. Next, a mining ecological restoration project will be implemented, completing a restoration area of 2.8 million acres.

——Strengthen coordination across all elements.

Every July and August, the Ruoergai grassland in Sichuan becomes an ocean of flowers. The alpine wetland grassland here replenishes 4.4 billion cubic meters of water to the Yellow River every year, known as the "Yellow River Reservoir".

This place has also experienced threats such as grassland degradation, soil erosion, land desertification, and forest degradation. In 2022, the "Ruoergai Mountain and Water Project" was launched, with a planned total investment of 5.255 billion yuan in the project area. Over a period of three years, ecological protection and restoration will be carried out systematically from the source.

"The project aims to address the problems existing in various ecological elements, break through the bottlenecks and pain points in ecological restoration, and not only control desertification, but also water and grass, while also addressing ecological issues in the upstream and downstream of the watershed." Project participant Xiang Guoping said that as of now, the Ruoergai Mountain and Water Project has completed a total ecological restoration area of 160000 hectares.

At the end of 2022, "Chinese Landscape Engineering" was selected as one of the first ten "World Ecological Restoration Flagship Projects" by the United Nations. The award speech is brief and powerful: "The 'China Landscape Engineering' regards all ecosystems as a 'community of life', and through unremitting efforts, has restored millions of hectares of land in China."

Mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes, grasses, and sands are inseparable ecosystems. With the concept of systematic governance and scientific protection measures, we are promoting integrated remediation, and the community of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasses, and sands is thriving.

Wang Lei, Director of the Department of Land and Space Ecological Restoration of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that adhering to systematic governance, comprehensive governance, and source governance, the "Shanshui Project" is expected to complete more than 30 million mu of ecological protection and restoration by the end of the 14th Five Year Plan.

Protecting in development, developing in protection, and focusing on improving ecosystem diversity, stability, and sustainability

All things receive their own harmony for life, and each receives their own nourishment for completion. Biodiversity fills the earth with vitality and is also the foundation for human survival and development. The loss of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation will pose significant risks to human survival and development.

The threat level of giant pandas has been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable", and 120 extremely small populations of wild plants such as Huagaimu and Baishanzu fir have been rescued and protected... Behind this, the construction of a nature reserve system with national parks as the main body is indispensable.

Implementing the national park system is an important measure for China to promote natural ecological protection and promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. The relevant person in charge of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said that through the construction of national parks, the most important natural ecosystem, the most unique natural landscape, the most essence of natural heritage, and the most abundant biodiversity areas will be protected, which will leave precious natural assets for future generations.

As of now, the first batch of national park construction has produced impressive performance reports. The Sanjiangyuan National Park has achieved overall protection of the headwaters of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Lancang River, and the Tibetan antelope population has recovered to over 70000; In recent years, 17 new species, including the rain god horned toad and Fujian gastrodia elata, have been discovered in Mount Wuyi National Park... Beautiful rivers and mountains, thousands of plants, birds and animals, are full of vitality.

People will not betray the green mountains, and the green mountains will not betray them. Protect the green mountains and clear waters, and return to the mountains of gold and silver.

Shengli Forest Farm in Dongying City, Shandong Province has dense trees and abundant water and grass. "A good ecology is productivity, and green mountains have become golden mountains," said Gou Shuimin, the head of the forest farm. Picking red pine antler at the understory base can bring more than 20 million yuan in annual output value to the forest farm. As a popular tourist attraction for local outings, the forest farm can receive more than 50000 tourists annually.

In the vast mountainous countryside, more and more villages in the mountains and villages by the river, villagers who protect the ecology have taken up ecological rice bowls and continued to write the story of their ancestors who relied on the mountains and water for food in another way.

"Good ecology produces good products, actively exploring and promoting the path of transforming green mountains and clear waters into golden mountains and silver mountains." Wu Taiping, Director of the Natural Resources Owners' Equity Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, introduced that the Ministry of Natural Resources has launched pilot mechanisms for realizing the value of ecological products in the field of natural resources in some places. "The next step will be to coordinate and promote the comprehensive reform of the natural resources asset management system, achieve efficient allocation and preservation and appreciation of natural resources assets, and promote green and high-quality development."

The contribution of ecological civilization construction lies in the present and the benefits lie in the future.