China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Community honored 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, held Monday through Wednesday, 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 Nairobibased 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.
Chen Yanxian, a representative of the first generation Saihanba foresters, said at the ceremony, “On behalf of three generations of Saihanba for- esters, I accept the award with great honor and excitement.”
She added, “For three generations, workers at Saihanba followed just one mission — to plant trees with our hearts and souls, and turn the barren hills into green mountains. We feel very proud of ourselves for creating such a miracle.”
In addition to Saihanba, a Chinese enterprise and an individual and three others from Chile and the United States were awarded.
Mobike, the world’s largest smart bike-sharing company, was awarded the honor in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for exploring market-driven solutions to air pollution and climate change.
Wang Wenbiao, chairman of Elion Resources Group, was awarded the honor in the Lifetime Achievement category for his lifetime of leadership in green industry.
Better known in China as the “Son of the Desert”, Wang, 61, is the chairman of China’s largest private green industries enterprise.