Panel 7 Examples of Eco-Environmental Progress
Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm
Since its inception in 1962, the Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm in Hebei Province has created a miracle from wasteland to woodland, thanks to the hard work and dedication of generations of local people. Compared with the early years, its forest area has risen from 16,000 ha to 77,000 ha, its forest stock has surged from 330,000 cu m to 10.4 million cu m, and its forest coverage rate has soared from 11.4 percent to 82 percent. The farm can conserve and purify 274 million cu m of water, sequestrate 814,100 tonnes of carbon, and release 570,600 tonnes of oxygen every year. Since its founding, the forest farm has accumulated RMB20.6 billion in total assets from an investment of RMB1.8 billion, and elevated its annual revenues from less than RMB100,000 to RMB160 million. Its employees now earn an average annual income of RMB100,000. The forest farm also benefits more than 40,000 people in its community, and has helped 22,000 people move out of poverty. It received the Champions of the Earth award from the UN in 2017.
Shelterbelts in northeastern, northern and northwestern regions
China launched this project in 1978 as a fundamental action to counter the sandstorms and soil erosion in these regions. The project spans 13 provinces and autonomous regions covering a total area of close to 4.1 million sq km, or 42.4 percent of China’s land mass. It is scheduled to continue for 73 years through 2050, and plans to develop 35.1 million ha of forests, of which 26.4 million ha, or 75.1 percent, are earmarked for man-made forests. The largest forestation project in the world, it will increase forest coverage in these regions from just over 5 percent to just under 15 percent, effectively curbing sandstorms and containing soil erosion. By the end of 2020, the area of planted trees had increased to 30.1 million ha, and the project areas had seen a rise in their forest coverage to 13.6 percent, and a boom in their forestry, fruit industry and ecotourism, among many other environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Program
It has taken the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and put it into sound practice in rural areas. The province started the overhaul of its rural environment in 2003, with a major effort to improve the quality of work and life of rural residents, and especially the eco-environment. The target was to thoroughly improve the environment in approximately 10,000 of its total 40,000 administrative villages in five years, and develop around 1,000 of them into demonstration zones for moderate prosperity in all respects. Through resolute efforts, the program has delivered remarkable outcomes – building up thousands of beautiful villages and making Zhejiang Province the best in the country in terms of rural living environment. It received the Champions of the Earth award from the UN in September 2018.