Witnessing the Vitality of Oasis on the Sea: Tropical Rainforest | Ecology | Vitality

High quality development research tour

"The five peaks are connected like emerald fingers, supporting half of the fiery wasteland in the sky." Walking into Wuzhi Mountain, you will definitely be amazed by the incredible craftsmanship of natural creations. Strolling through the lush forest, the sunlight falls and the shadows are mottled. In the crevices of large leaves, a few drops of dew occasionally fall, and in the distance, the chirping of insects keeps coming and going, and all things are thriving.

"The species richness, typical ecosystems, and ecological types here are of great conservation value and are very unique. Most importantly, it is a representative of China's island type tropical rainforest and an ecological security barrier." Recalling the scene of seeing Hainan's tropical rainforest for the first time, Wen Yali, Dean of the National Forestry Development Research Institute at Beijing Forestry University, was still shocked.

After October 2021, this tropical rainforest has gained a new important positioning - one of the first five national parks in China.

"The Wuzhishan area has improved the scientific introduction and listing of more than 180 plant species; the recorded number of terrestrial vertebrate wild animals has increased from 289 to 345, and two new record species of butterflies and one new record species of wax cicadas have been discovered..." Li Jialing, the head of the Resource Management Department of the Wuzhishan Branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Management Bureau, is full of new achievements in recent years.

The conservation progress of Hainan gibbons is the best witness to the development of biodiversity in Hainan's tropical rainforest. As a unique primate species in Hainan, it once had less than 10 remaining, with an extremely endangered level. After more than ten years of careful care, the number of Hainan gibbons has grown to six groups and 37 individuals. Next, a professional monitoring team for Hainan gibbons will be further established to promote the protection and restoration of the habitat of Hainan gibbons and the surrounding tropical rainforest ecosystem.

The changes in this rainforest go far beyond this:

Multiple regulations, systems, and methods such as the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Regulations have been continuously introduced, and the division of rights and responsibilities has been continuously clarified, promoting the legalization of national park protection and management;

Taking care of this "water tower" and "green heart", information technology has also provided assistance. By establishing a closed-loop command and scheduling mechanism for forest related issues, developing a "Rainforest Patrol" app, constructing a smart rainforest platform, and a patrol terminal system, it is possible to share regulatory information and efficiently manage mountain patrols;

Innovatively establish a flattened national park management system and a comprehensive law enforcement management mechanism for dual management of national parks, continuously improving the efficiency of protection and management.

How to coordinate protection and development? How to enable more people to share the achievements of environmental protection in the process of promoting ecological industrialization and industrial ecology? In green development, it is inevitable to answer these questions. And Hainan is also responding to the answer sheet with innovation.

In the view of Wang Changhai, a researcher at the Institute of Rural Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the establishment of the Tropical Rainforest National Park is also an experimental field for exploring the national park system mechanism and ecological resource transformation path. "Through this, we can further explore the ecological compensation mechanism and forestry carbon sequestration projects within the park, optimize the development mechanism of community tourism economy, and contribute the wisdom of Hainan."

When talking about how to adhere to the "ecological protection red line" of tropical rainforests, Wang Baihe, a villager from Maona Village, Shuiman Township, Wuzhishan City, said, "I live in a national park, and the tropical rainforest is our home that must be taken good care of." In recent years, Maona Village has fully leveraged its unique geographical advantages, improved its cultural and tourism infrastructure and public service facilities, launched "tea tourism+cultural tourism", and explored the path to ecological prosperity. In 2022, the per capita disposable income of farmers in the entire village reached 17681 yuan. Amidst the lush greenery of the mountains, villagers head high from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization.

This greenery permeates this southern island layer by layer. In recent years, the construction of iconic ecological civilization projects in Hainan has been actively promoted——

At the 2023 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, the Dongyu Island Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone, which is blessed with natural resources and connected with water, has basically achieved green energy supply, becoming an important window to showcase the achievements of China's "dual carbon" construction.

The Hainan Island Ring Tourism Highway, which runs through 12 cities and counties including Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, and Wanning, is expected to be completed and opened to traffic by the end of December. It connects the "pearls" of coastal scenic spots and relay stations into a string of "pearl necklaces", laying out a unique green landscape painting of Hainan's natural scenery.

In the battle of "Six Waters Co governance", the "Little Sea" in the eastern part of Wanning City has quietly become a source of fresh water for revitalizing the local rural fishing industry, with clean water and sand.

The Jiangdong New Area, a key park of Hainan Free Trade Port, is covered with photovoltaic panels on the roof of buildings, and even the window glass can be "sun dried" to generate electricity. The integrated system can collect rainwater to irrigate flowers and plants... High tech environmental protection facilities form an ecological city of the future.

The once barren Xishazhou in Sansha City, after ten years of "planting green and protecting blue", is now like a turquoise embedded in the boundless blue waves of the South China Sea. The sand is as white as snow, and the green trees provide shade, becoming a beautiful home for the people of Sansha.

On the land of Qiongya, regional public brands such as lychee, mango, coffee, and dragon fruit attract people, integrating with the natural environment in new forms of green service industries such as shared farms, leisure agriculture, rural tourism, and themed homestays

The green mountains are meaningful, and the blue sea is affectionate. In the future, in the construction process of Hainan Free Trade Port, we believe that we will continue to explore and move forward along the path of green development, continuously promoting the transformation of ecological "high beauty" into "high-quality" development. We will surely witness more blooming greenery and vibrant vitality!