Legislative governance foundation to protect the beauty of wetlands

　　——Focus on the official implementation of the Wetland Protection Law

　　【Dharma Eye View】

　　"Guan Guan Ju Dove, in the River Continent..." The Book of Songs, the oldest collection of poems in my country, started with wetlands at the beginning.

"The hibiscus is picked from the river, and the grass is full of fragrant grass in the Lanze." In the eyes of the ancients, wetlands are full of poetic beauty.

　　From the scientific perspective of contemporary people, wetlands, as the "kidney of the earth", have various ecological functions such as water conservation, climate regulation, environment improvement, and biodiversity maintenance. It plays an important role in maintaining the security of ecology, food and water resources, and is closely related to the survival and development of human beings.

　　"We must unswervingly put protection in the first place, and do our best to maintain the wetland ecology and water environment." In March 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized when he inspected the Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to wetland protection and restoration, and has made wetland protection an important part of the construction of ecological civilization, and has made a series of decisions and arrangements to strengthen protection and restoration and strengthen system construction.

　　From June 1, 2022, the "Wetland Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Wetland Protection Law") will be officially implemented.

As my country's first law dedicated to the protection of wetlands, this law establishes the "four beams and eight pillars" of the top-level design of wetland protection management. On the basis of the Forest Law and the Marine Environmental Protection Law, it fills the legislative gap of my country's ecosystem and will lead my country's wetland protection. The work has entered the track of legalization in an all-round way.

　　Solve the problems of "unable to manage" and "unable to manage" with national legislation

　　Heilongjiang Zhalong Wetland, Hebei Baiyangdian Wetland, Guangxi Beihai Mangrove Wetland, Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Wetland... These famous wetlands have long been familiar to people.

According to statistics, as of December 2021, my country has 64 internationally important wetlands, 29 nationally important wetlands, and 1,001 provincial-level important wetlands, and has established more than 600 wetland nature reserves, more than 1,600 wetland parks and numerous wetlands. Protect the community.

　　"The core issue of wetland legislation is the concept of wetlands, that is, the definition of the scope of legislation." Lei Guangchun, a professor at Beijing Forestry University and an expert on wetland ecology, pointed out that the reason why wetland ecosystems had the problem of "Kowloon Water Control" before was the elemental type of wetland resources. Management, multi-department management, lack of ecosystem integrity concept.

On the basis of the "Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially Waterfowl Habitat" (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention on Wetlands"), the Wetland Protection Law solves the problems of unclear concept of wetlands and inability to implement management in place.

　　According to the Wetland Protection Law, wetlands "refers to natural or artificial, perennial or seasonal stagnant water areas and water areas with significant ecological functions, including sea areas with a depth of no more than six meters at low tide", paddy fields and artificial Excluding waters and tidal flats.

　　Lei Guangchun believes that according to this regulation, all lake wetlands, river wetlands, swamp wetlands, coastal wetlands and reservoir wetlands with significant ecological functions belong to the category of wetlands.

At the same time, the Wetland Protection Law also clarifies the main body of responsibility for wetland protection and management, stipulates that the competent forestry and grassland department of the State Council is responsible for the supervision and management of wetland resources, and requires the establishment of a collaboration and information sharing mechanism between relevant departments. progress".

　　In terms of wetland resource management, the Wetland Protection Law has also elevated a number of beneficial experiences into legal norms, such as the wetland resource survey and evaluation system, the total wetland area management and control system, and the wetland dynamic monitoring system.

The law also stipulates the implementation of hierarchical management and registration system for wetlands, divides wetlands into important wetlands and general wetlands, and clarifies the release authority of departments at all levels.

　　As a wetland protection worker, Xu Mingde, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Management Committee of Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, believes that the Wetland Protection Law clarifies the principles that should be followed in wetland protection, utilization, restoration and related management activities from a legislative perspective. It will help raise the public's awareness of the importance of wetland protection, and solve the problems of "unable to rely on" and "unable to manage" and "unable to manage" in practice.

　　Adhere to the statutory principle of protection first

　　The green grass is boundless, and the ditches are vertical and horizontal. From time to time, birds pass by leisurely and stay on this vast wetland.

The easternmost point of Shanghai Chongming Island, at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the East China Sea, is the famous "internationally important wetland" - Dongtan Wetland.

　　"The changes over the years have been earth-shaking!" said Niu Dongliang, director of the Management Affairs Center of Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve.

In 2004, Niu Dongliang came to the reserve to work.

At that time, storage yards, docks, aquaculture, fishing, grazing... overwhelmed the fragile wetland ecology.

But now, after a long period of "rest and recuperation", this important stop for migratory birds in transit is becoming more and more lively.

　　"Since joining the Wetland Convention in 1992, China's wetland protection has gone through three stages: figuring out the home and laying a solid foundation, rescue protection, and comprehensive protection." Hu Xinxin, director of the International Convention Performance Division of the Wetland Management Department of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, said in an interview. China, which accounts for 4% of the world's wetlands, 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.

　　The Wetland Protection Law proposes that the protection of wetlands should adhere to the principles of prioritizing protection, strict management, systematic governance, scientific restoration, and rational use, and explicitly prohibits reclamation (reclamation), draining natural wetlands, permanently cutting off natural wetland water sources, and burying natural wetlands without authorization. Wetland, unauthorized sand mining, mining, soil borrowing, overgrazing or over-harvesting of wild plants, overfishing or extinction fishing and other behaviors that destroy wetlands and their ecological functions.

At the same time, the Wetland Protection Law also specifically stipulates to strengthen the management and protection of coastal wetlands, strictly control the reclamation of coastal wetlands, and make specific provisions for the protection of mangrove wetlands and peat swamp wetlands.

　　"One of the biggest highlights of this law is that it has increased the punishment for the destruction of wetlands." Lei Guangchun believes that the wetland protection law is more severe in setting punishment standards, not only fully considering the physical value of wetland resources, but also paying more attention to The ecological value of wetlands, such as the amount of fines for illegal acts such as unauthorized occupation of important national wetlands and serious damage to natural wetlands, shall be fined between 1,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan per square meter, that is, 667-6.67 million yuan per mu. play a significant deterrent effect.

　　Strengthen the supervision of the whole process of restoration and utilization

　　Like the boundless red brocade, it brings a warm and rich vitality. Looking around, the Suaeda salsa dyes the ocean of the Yellow River Delta in Dongying red, which is spectacular.

In recent years, Suaeda salina has played an important role in the ecological restoration of the severely degraded areas of the Yellow River Delta, and the silt flats where no grass grows have returned to their brilliance.

　　According to Xu Mingde, in recent years, the Yellow River Delta Reserve has adhered to the principle of "restoring the ecology in an ecological way", returning farmland to wetlands and returning farmland to beaches of 72,500 mu, and has implemented 16 wetland restoration projects successively, restoring 47,000 mu of salt suae and seagrass beds. , to achieve the good effect of "one-time repair, natural succession, long-term stability".

　　The Wetland Protection Law adheres to the principle of giving priority to natural restoration and combining natural restoration with artificial restoration, so as to improve the quality of wetland ecosystems.

Xu Mingde said: "The Wetland Protection Law adheres to the problem orientation, distinguishes different situations, clarifies the main body of wetland restoration responsibility, distinguishes between different types, and specifies wetland restoration requirements. At the same time, the law proposes to establish and improve the preparation and approval of wetland restoration plans, as well as wetland restoration acceptance and post-management. Strengthening the supervision of the whole process of wetland restoration will play an important role in improving the restoration effect."

　　May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity. On that day, the Yellow River Delta Bird Museum managed by the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve organized a public welfare explanation activity to reproduce the unique wetland features and prosperous bird resources of the Yellow River Delta.

In recent years, many wetland reserves across the country have actively utilized wetland ecological resources and continued to organize and carry out thematic and characteristic popular science education activities, which have promoted the improvement of public awareness of environmental protection and scientific literacy.

　　"The key issue of wetland legislation is the scientificity, openness, transparency and rationality of the trade-off between protection and rational use." Lei Guangchun believes that the wetland protection law is based on the overall protection and management of wetland ecosystems. Laws and policies, not "one size fits all", ensure the rational use of wetland resources and cultural inheritance, which is conducive to realizing the unification of ecological benefits, social benefits and economic benefits, and making wetlands a green space shared by the people.

　　It is worth noting that when reviewing the draft wetland protection law, several members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress pointed out that in some places, wetland restoration has become a tourism project. .

Recently, wetland restoration projects in some areas have also raised public doubts.

In this regard, experts said that wetland restoration must be scientifically demonstrated, and the maintenance of biodiversity should be given top priority to prevent "good intentions from doing bad things", especially "tourism development under the banner of ecological restoration."

　　(Reporter Jin Hao Zhang Lei Yan Weiqi)