Beijing, May 5 (Zhongxin Net) -- On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is known as the "roof of the world," how have human activities from ancient times to the present affected its ecological environment? How to scientifically assess and actively respond?
On May 5, Chinese scientific research institutions first released the "Scientific Assessment of the Ecological Environment of Human Activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" in Beijing, arguing that the impact of human activities on the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is weak and limited, and that human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau should be further scientifically regulated in the future to promote the sustainable development of the local ecological environment and social economy.
"Scientific Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Human Activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" was compiled by more than 100 researchers after 4 years of research by Chen Fahu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and director of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was officially released at the 2023 Zhongguancun Forum "International Forum on Basic Science, Scientific and Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development" on the same day.
Academician Chen Fahu said at the time of release that the assessment report is supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Class A strategic leading science and technology project, focusing on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau China region, through the construction of an evaluation system including more than 13 indicators in 150 categories including human activities and ecological environment, analyzing the development process of human activities and ecological environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and systematically evaluating the agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, industrial and mining development, urban construction, and urban construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the past 40 years (1980s to 2020). The change process of human activities such as major engineering and ecological construction and its impact on the ecological environment, and put forward the regulation and control strategies of human activities.
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
The Scientific Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Human Activities on the Ecological Environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau points out that human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can be traced back to about 20,1961 years ago, and the impact of early human activities on the ecological environment is extremely limited. Since 2, the climate warming of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has accelerated, reaching twice the global average warming rate, and the regional differences in precipitation change are significant, which are characterized by a decrease in the south and east and an increase in the northwest. The ecological situation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is generally stable and improving, and the environmental quality is excellent, but there are still problems such as grassland degradation, soil erosion and frozen soil retreat. The areas with high human activity intensity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are mainly distributed in the eastern edge river valley area and the "one river and two rivers" (Brahmaputra River, Lhasa River and Nianchu River) area in Tibet, and the overall human activity intensity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is low, only 27% of the national average. The impact of human activities on the ecological environment is weak, and since 2010, the growth rate of the impact has slowed down, and the average annual growth rate has decreased from 0.84% to 0.70%. The effectiveness of ecological protection and construction has gradually increased, which has played an important role in stabilizing the ecological security barrier.
The assessment report believes that human activities mainly affect the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the following six aspects: first, the intensity of grazing activities decreases, the impact on grassland is weakened, the intensity of cultivated land use is increased, and the impact on the ecological environment is limited; Second, the impact of industrial and mining activities on the ecological environment is controllable; Third, the supporting role of tourism has increased, but the pressure on the local ecological environment has increased; Fourth, the rapid progress of major traffic projects will have an impact on the ecological environment of the project area; Fifth, the impact of cross-border pollutants continues to increase; Sixth, remarkable results have been achieved in the construction of ecological protection and restoration projects.
The report "Scientific Assessment of the Impact of Human Activities on the Ecological Environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" suggests that in the future, human activities should be further scientifically regulated, a modern agricultural and animal husbandry system should be built on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, eco-tourism and green industry should be developed, a township system with plateau characteristics should be built, ecological construction system engineering should be promoted, and zoning development plans should be formulated according to local conditions to promote sustainable ecological environment and social and economic development.
It is understood that the "International Forum on Basic Science, Scientific and Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development" is also an important part of the United Nations "International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development", which is jointly sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Education. (End)