Beijing, May 5 (Reporter Sun Zifa) -- Organized by more than 27 researchers to compile China's first "Scientific Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Human Activities on the Ecological Environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" report organized by more than 100 researchers after four years of research, China's first "Scientific Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Human Activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" was officially released at the 4 Zhongguancun Forum "International Forum on Basic Science, Scientific and Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development" held in Beijing on May 5.
Why should we study and publish the report "Scientific Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Human Activities on the Ecological Environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau", what are its core research results, how international and domestic counterparts evaluate it, and what targeted research will be carried out in the future... In response to these issues that have attracted much attention, Academician Chen Fahu was interviewed by reporters at the forum site after releasing the assessment report on the same day to conduct popular science interpretation.
Why is this scientific assessment being researched and published?
Chen Fahu pointed out that at present, global warming has become a climate trend widely recognized by all countries in the world, and climate change in high-altitude areas is more obvious. The warming of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has reached twice the global average, resulting in frequent natural disasters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and an imbalance in the function of the "Asian Water Tower".
At the same time, the intensity of human activity on the plateau is intensifying. For example, in the past 20 years, the plateau tourist population has increased by 2 times, and the pressure on the ecological environment has increased.
Academician Chen Fahu released the "Scientific Assessment of the Impact of Human Activities on the Ecological Environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" at the forum. Photo by Sun Zifa, reporter of China News Agency
In order to effectively protect the blue water and sky of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China has always attached great importance to the protection of the plateau's ecological environment, including the establishment of China's first national park, Sanjiangyuan National Park, and the promulgation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Ecological Protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences Class A pilot special project specially set up projects and joint research tasks for the impact and regulation of the ecological environment of human activities, and the report "Scientific Assessment of the Ecological Environment of Human Activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" came into being, aiming to reveal the impact of human activities on the plateau ecological environment and serve the construction of plateau ecological civilization.
What are the core findings of this evaluation report?
Chen Fahu said that after four years of comprehensive and in-depth research and compilation by more than 100 front-line scientific researchers, the "Scientific Assessment of the Impact of Human Activities on the Ecological Environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" mainly has three conclusions:
First, the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is generally improving. The ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is stable as a whole, the ecological status tends to improve, the water conservation capacity increases, soil erosion slows down, the wind protection and sand fixation function and carbon sequestration capacity are improved, the potential habitat of rare wild animals increases, and the environmental quality is excellent. However, at the same time, it should also be noted that some ecological and environmental problems on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau cannot be ignored.
Second, the intensity of human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is low, and the impact on the ecological environment is weak. The assessment found that human activity on the Tibetan Plateau dates back 20,40 years. The early human range of activities was very small, and the impact on the ecological environment was extremely weak. In the past 10 years, the intensity of human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has increased, but the growth rate has slowed down in the past 27 years. At present, the intensity of human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is only <>% of the national average, and the impact on the ecological environment is generally weak.
Third, the results of ecological construction have gradually appeared. By 2018, the Tibetan Plateau ecological project covers one-third of its total area. The average vegetation coverage in the grassland project area increased by 16.90%, the total carbon storage of natural forest reserves increased by 0 million tons per year, and the desertification land area of Tibet decreased by 27.97 square kilometers per year.
What scientific basis can be provided for policy development?
Chen Fahu believes that the assessment report objectively evaluates the impact of human activities on the plateau ecological environment, which not only has the positive effect of ecological construction, but also has the negative impact of overload and overgrazing. These assessment results will help to enhance people's scientific understanding of human activities on the plateau, and also contribute to the formulation and implementation of policies related to sustainable development in various regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
On the basis of scientific assessment, the report also puts forward specific strategic suggestions for the regulation of human activities in view of existing problems, which can provide direct reference for the formulation of relevant policies. For example, the predictions and strategic suggestions related to population development and the construction of a new urban system can provide a reference for the positioning and development expectations of towns in local sustainable development planning.
The assessment report also shows a large number of scientific data, including specific activity data such as agriculture and animal husbandry, industrial and mining development, tourism, etc., as well as the characteristics and changes of natural factors such as climate, vegetation and environment, and the analysis results of these data and trends have important reference value for the formulation of sustainable development policies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Chen Fahu stressed that balancing the relationship between ecological environment and economic development is the foundation of building an ecological civilization highland, and it is also the starting point and core goal of this assessment report. Generally speaking, the main area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau should still develop ecological agriculture and animal husbandry, focus on protecting natural grassland and promoting the restoration of degraded grassland, while the marginal areas of the plateau should strengthen biodiversity conservation and build a new village and town system. In addition, balancing the ecological environment and economic development is a complex and arduous long-term task, and it is necessary to strengthen the systematic coordination between different forms of human activities and different regions, and it is also necessary to comprehensively consider policies, laws, culture, education and other aspects beyond the report.
How do international and domestic peers evaluate the assessment report?
Chen Fahu said that "Scientific Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Human Activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" is a useful attempt to comprehensively explain the human activities on the plateau and their impact on the ecological environment from the perspective of the evolution process of human activities and multi-dimensional perspectives. Many of these studies are at the international leading level, such as the research on the traceability of human activities on the plateau, and the relevant results have been selected as the "Top Ten Scientific Breakthroughs of 2019" by the internationally renowned academic journal Science, and the "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 2019" by the American Journal of Archaeology, etc., which have been highly praised by international peers.
At the same time, the assessment report was completed by more than 100 front-line researchers in China who have been engaged in the research of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for a long time, which took nearly four years to complete. Relevant domestic experts and units highly recognized the assessment report, believing that it is an excellent research report with comprehensive content, detailed data, scientific methodology, objective conclusions, and strong pertinence of regulatory strategies.
"Of course, the interaction mechanism between human activities and the environment is a complex system science problem, and there are inevitably some shortcomings in the assessment, which need to be continuously improved in our future research." Chen Fahu said.
What targeted research will be carried out in the future?
Chen Fahu said that the report's current assessment conclusions are mainly based on the current understanding, "The assessment also found that the growth rate of human activities on the ecological environment has slowed down, whether this trend will continue in the future, and when it can reach a peak, limited by data and cognitive level, there is still no reliable conclusion."
With the continuous improvement of the level of science and technology, the forms of human activities will be more diverse, and their impact will be different from the past; Climate conditions and ecological environment are also constantly changing, and what interaction between humans and the environment will be in the future needs to be studied in depth. Chen Fahu believes that similar assessments can be done regularly and systematically in the future.
He pointed out that scientific assessment could carry out more detailed research work in typical areas and typical forms of human activity. For example, in Tibet's typical human activity area, "one river and two rivers" (Brahmaputra River, Lhasa River and Nianchu River), researchers can put forward scientific insights on how to balance the ecological environment and economic development, how to build a livable Yajiang River suitable for the survival and development of the Tibetan people, especially the management of wind and sand disasters, the sustainable use and protection of wetlands, forest land and cultivated land in river valleys, the improvement of sandy land in the broad valley, and the construction of livable and low-carbon townships.
In addition, the current study has found that the history of human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can be traced back to 20,<> years ago, and whether there are earlier human activity remains, which is also worth carrying out targeted research work, which will help to decipher the interaction mechanism and mode of human activities and the ecological environment.
Finally, Academician Chen Fahu also emphasized that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is known as the "roof of the world", highlighting its significance and influence to the world, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is willing to actively carry out all-round and multi-level international scientific and technological cooperation with scientific research colleagues who are concerned about the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau around the world, jointly improve the research level of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and benefit all mankind. (End)