Community wins UN honor for reforestation
China’s Saihanba Afforestation Community was presented the top United Nations environment honor, the Champions of the Earth award, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday.
The award, given during the Third UN Environment Assembly, was an honor in the Inspiration and Action category for its efforts to transform degraded land into a lush paradise.
“As we face unprecedented threats to our environment, strong leadership at all levels is more important than ever,” said Erik Solheim, head of the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme. “This year’s Champions embody the commitment, vision and energy we so desperately need.”
Saihanba, which is 400 km north of Beijing and encompasses 92,000 hectares, is critically important to the water and air quality in the capital. It is an environmental shield that reduces sandstorms.
Saihanba, a combination of Chinese and Mongolian meaning “beautiful highland”, was stripped of trees due to excessive logging and became barren by the 1950s. This allowed sand to blow into Beijing from the northern deserts.
In 1962, hundreds of foresters began planting trees in the area. Three generations of these foresters have increased the forest cover from 11.4 percent to 80 percent. The forest now supplies 137 million cubic meters of clean water to the Beijing and Tianjin areas each year, while discharging 550,000 metric tons of oxygen.
It has spurred economic growth in green sectors, generating $15.1 million in 2016 alone, according to the release from the UNEP.
President Xi Jinping endorsed the efforts when he inspected the forest farm in August. He said the development of Saihanba is the result of the persistent effort and dedication of forestry workers and has set a great example in China’s pursuit of ecological progress, Xinhua News Agency reported.