(East-West Question) Dai Yongwu: What is the best way for China to protect the "kidney of the earth"?
China News Agency, Fuzhou, May 22, Question: Dai Yongwu: What is the best way to protect the "kidney of the earth" in China?
China News Agency reporter Long Min
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of China's accession to the Convention on Wetlands.
Over the past 30 years, China has vigorously promoted the protection and restoration of wetlands, and the ecological status of wetlands has continued to improve.
With 4% of the world's wetlands, China meets the needs of one-fifth of the world's population for wetland production, living, ecology and culture, and has made important contributions to the protection and rational use of global wetlands.
What is China's recipe for protecting the "kidney of the earth"?
On the occasion of the International Biodiversity Day on May 22, Dai Yongwu, a professor at the School of Economics and Management of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and deputy director of the Ecological Civilization Research Center of the Fujian Provincial Social Science Research Base, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East West Question" to give an in-depth look at this read.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Agency reporter: Why are wetlands called "kidneys of the earth", "cradle of life" and "biological supermarkets"? Why is it important to protect wetlands?
Dai Yongwu:
Wetland refers to an ecosystem in which water is the main factor to control the environment and related animals and plants. It is an ecosystem with high biodiversity and large ecological function endowments in nature. It is closely related to the development of human society and is also known as forest and ocean. Earth's three ecosystems.
Wetlands are the "kidneys of the earth".
It absorbs carbon dioxide, helps slow global warming and reduces pollution, and peatlands alone hold twice as much carbon as all the world's forests combined.
Wetlands are "the cradle of life".
Life on Earth originated in the ocean. Ancient protozoa such as blue-green algae proliferated in water 3.5 billion years ago. Wetlands are the carrier of the regulation of the earth's water resources, giving birth to many lives on the earth.
Wetlands are "bio-supermarkets".
While wetlands only cover about 6 percent of the Earth's land surface, 40 percent of plant and animal species live or reproduce in wetlands.
Aerial photography of Keketuohai National Wetland Park in Fuyun County, Altay Region, Xinjiang.
Photo by Ardak Baishan issued by China News Agency
As an ecosystem formed by the interaction of water and land, wetlands are closely related to human beings, provide basic ecosystem services for human beings, and play a vital role in human, climate and other ecosystems.
More than 1 billion people worldwide depend on wetlands for their livelihoods, which is roughly one in every eight people on the planet.
China News Service: Since joining the Wetland Convention in 1992, what process has China experienced in wetland conservation? What is the status of wetland conservation in China?
Dai Yongwu:
Since joining the "Wetland Convention", China's wetland protection has gone through four stages: 1992-2003 to find out the family background and lay a solid foundation; 2004-2015 rescue protection stage; 2016-2021 comprehensive protection stage ; From June 1, 2022, the "Wetland Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" will be implemented, and China's wetland protection has entered a stage of high-quality development in a new era.
At present, China has designated 64 wetlands of international importance with a total area of 7.32 million hectares; 29 wetlands of national importance have been identified, and 602 wetland nature reserves and more than 1,600 wetland parks have been established, with a wetland protection rate of 52.65%.
According to the third national wetland resources survey, the total area of wetlands in China is 23.4693 million hectares, ranking first in Asia and fourth in the world.
At the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands held in 2018, 18 cities from 7 countries around the world won the first batch of international wetland cities, of which 6 were from China.
China is the only country in the world that has completed national wetland resource surveys three times and is conducting peatland surveys.
In Yangshan Wetland, Haikou City, white pelicans swim on the surface of the pond to hunt for food.
In 2018, Haikou was awarded the title of the first batch of international wetland cities in the world.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Luo Yunfei
China News Service reporter: What experience has China accumulated in wetland protection, and what is the reference value for the world to continue to promote wetland management and ecological restoration?
Dai Yongwu:
China vigorously promotes wetland protection and restoration, and the ecological status of wetlands continues to improve. As the world's second largest economy and the world's most populous country, it has certain demonstration and reference significance for the world to continue to promote wetland management and restoration.
China actively participates in global wetland governance.
As a member of the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands and chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, China has been deeply involved in convention affairs and rule-making, carried out extensive international cooperation and exchanges, and contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to global ecological governance.
China has also strengthened dialogue, exchanges and cooperation in the field of wetlands to address climate change, actively participated in the international negotiation process on climate change, carried out various foreign aid trainings, and joined hands with the international community to promote global climate governance.
China has improved its legal system and consolidated the foundation for legal protection.
China's 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) have successively issued regulations on wetland protection, and the national and provincial levels have formulated the "Wetland Protection and Restoration System Plan" and implementation plans.
At the strategic level, the Chinese government regards increasing wetland carbon sinks and promoting green and low-carbon development as an important part of ecological civilization construction, and incorporates wetland protection into the national strategy for addressing climate change.
China gives full play to its institutional advantages and increases government financial input.
Since 2003, the central government has invested a total of 19.8 billion yuan and implemented more than 4,100 engineering projects, driving local governments to jointly carry out wetland ecological protection and restoration.
China grasps the systemicity and integrity, and strengthens the coordinated governance of departments.
China's wetland protection is led by the forestry and grassland department, and other relevant departments are responsible for management according to the division of responsibilities.
China has established national and local wetland parks. Wetland parks have spread across 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country, with a total of 899 sites, effectively protecting 2.4 million hectares of wetlands and driving regional economic growth of more than 50 billion yuan.
China has formed an investigation and monitoring system and strengthened the application of high-tech.
China is the first country in the world to complete three national surveys of wetland resources, and the third national land survey officially listed wetlands as a first-class land category.
Wetland survey and monitoring field stations, real-time monitoring and information management platforms have been established in various places, and they have been gradually incorporated into the national forest and grass perception system to realize the integration of monitoring and supervision through high-tech.
In recent years, the Wetland Park on both sides of the Minjiang River, which has been vigorously built in Fuzhou, has become a good place for citizens to relax.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Dongming
China News Service: What achievements have Western countries achieved in wetland protection and construction? What are the implications for China?
Dai Yongwu:
Western countries have recovered and expanded wetland areas mainly through restoration, reconstruction, and relocation, and have achieved many results.
First, formulate and improve wetland protection policies and laws and regulations.
For example, the European Union has formulated the "Habitat Act", "Bird Protection Act", "Water Framework Act", etc.; Australia has promulgated the "Australian Federal Government Wetland Policy".
The second is to strengthen the protection of wetlands by establishing natural reserves, wetland parks (national parks) and other wetland natural protection systems.
For example, Japan has established wetland parks in urban centers to carry out multi-functional development including tourism and scientific research.
The third is natural restoration or artificial measures to restore wetland ecosystems and their service functions.
For example, the United States adopts the method of comprehensive utilization and development of education and services, and uses the multiple functions of natural wetlands to slow down the degradation of wetlands.
Western countries choose appropriate policy tools and market-oriented means according to local conditions, make rational use of local wetland ecological resources, and give full play to the multiple functions of wetland ecosystems. Many wetland protection and utilization models are worth learning from China.
For example, the United States has established a wetland mitigation bank and diversified wetland compensation mechanisms through market-oriented means, attracting social enterprises and private industrial and commercial capital to invest in wetland protection, and advocates environmental education for all to improve the overall ecological environment awareness of the society.
When formulating local wetland protection policies, Japan fully respects the autonomy of the people. The government, local residents, enterprises, social organizations and other subjects work together to participate in wetland protection.
Eastern and Western countries have their own strengths in wetland conservation models and mechanisms due to different development stages, resource endowments, and cultural backgrounds.
Western countries, especially developed countries, have higher social participation in wetland protection models; China has stronger institutional advantages, digitalization and other high-tech applications in wetland protection and utilization.
Wetland protection between China and the West is worth learning from each other, and implementing measures and policies according to local conditions.
Migratory birds fly in the Bayinbuluk Swan Lake wetland in Hejing County, Bayingoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang.
In recent years, the county has strengthened the protection and restoration of grassland wetlands, and the grassland ecological environment has been significantly improved.
Photo by China News Agency, Hu Re
China News Service reporter: What challenges are currently facing global wetland conservation? How should we meet the challenges, jointly promote wetland protection and ecological restoration, and protect biodiversity?
Dai Yongwu:
Currently, the global wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests. Since 1970, 35% of the world's wetlands have disappeared.
The challenges facing the global wetland protection are mainly natural challenges and human activities.
Among them, the natural challenges mainly include the destruction of ecosystems caused by global climate change and the increase of extreme weather; the human challenges are population growth, globalization development, over-exploitation of groundwater, etc., which can easily change the hydrological connectivity, ecological environment, water level and soil water saturation of various countries. and ultimately affect biodiversity, thereby altering wetland ecosystems.
In order to meet the challenges of global wetland protection, we should first build a global community of shared future for wetland protection.
Building a community with a shared future for wetland protection is inseparable from global cooperation and win-win results. It is necessary to improve the network of important international wetlands, strengthen international cooperation, and promote the cross-border circulation of ecosystem services.
In order to protect transnational migratory birds, the Chinese government has signed Sino-Japanese and Sino-Australian migratory bird protection agreements with the Japanese and Australian governments, signed an agreement with the Russian government to jointly protect the Xingkai Lake wetlands, and signed a protection agreement with the New Zealand government. Memorandum of 26 species of waterbirds including red-bellied sandpiper and bar-tailed godwit and their habitats.
Second, increase public participation in society.
Through media promotion, let the public understand the functions of wetlands and actively participate in wetland protection; through public education, let more people join the beneficiary groups of wetland protection, and let the public know that wetlands can provide ecosystem services to human beings.
Everyone is a protector, builder, and beneficiary of the ecological environment. No one is a bystander, outsider, or critic.
Heilongjiang Zhalong Nature Reserve is the first waterfowl nature reserve built in China, mainly protecting wetlands and wild animals such as national protected animals such as red-crowned cranes.
Photo by Chen Haohao issued by China News Agency
Third, implement economic and financial incentives.
Wetland conservation is funded through a variety of mechanisms, including climate change response strategies and compensation for ecosystem services programs, and promotion of wetland conservation through taxation, certification, and corporate social responsibility programs.
Fourth, consider the multiple values of wetlands.
Emphasis on wetland ecosystem services and their importance to human livelihoods and human well-being.
Wetland benefits include areas such as energy, mining, urban development and tourism.
One of the indicators in the Strategic Plan for the Convention on Wetlands calls for the assessment of the ecosystem services of wetlands of international importance.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Dai Yongwu, Dean, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Anxi Tea College of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, non-practicing member of Chinese Certified Public Accountants.
He has been engaged in forestry economic management and ecological civilization construction for a long time, and concurrently serves as the deputy director of the Modern Rural Forestry Professional Committee of the China Forestry Economics Association, the director of the collective forestry reform and development research center of the new characteristic think tank of Fujian universities, and the ecological civilization research center of the Fujian Provincial Social Science Research Base. Deputy director, member of the editorial board of academic journals such as "Forestry Economy", "Forestry Economic Issues" and "China Forestry Economy", and a communication review expert for the National Social Science Fund Project.
He has presided over and participated in 8 national scientific research projects and published more than 100 academic papers; he has won the third batch of national leading talents in forestry and grassland science and technology innovation, and the Fujian Provincial University New Century Excellent Talents Support Program.