A press conference on Hunan’s ecological civilization progress, a part of Hunan’s celebrations for the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was held on July 5, 2021.   

Hunan is at the national forefront in terms of several ecological environment indicators, said Wu Jianbo, deputy director of the Hunan Department of Forestry.

In recent years, Hunan forestry authority has taken measures to coordinate management of mountains, waters, forests, farmland, lakes and grassland, and improve the overall function of the ecosystem. By the end of 2020, the provincial forest coverage rate reached 59.96%, with 618 million cubic meters of forest growing stock. The comprehensive vegetation coverage of grassland was 87.04%, while 75.77% of wetlands were protected by some level of government. The output value of forestry industry hit 510.4 billion CNY.

Ecological protection has been reinforced in an all-round way. The provincial authority put a stop to commercial logging in natural forests, and a three-year action plan were rolled out to ban or control logging. An accumulated 15 million cubic meters of logging had been cut. Hunting of wild animals were prohibited, which has resulted in an increase of rare endangered species, such as migrant birds and elks in lake regions. Wild animals are banned from consumption. Hunan took the national lead in carrying out a series of measures to control and quarantine wildlife in breeding sites, and prohibit hunting, transport, consumption, and performance of wild animals; and, rolling out related compensation and support policies. Plant species with extremely small populations have been under effective protection.

Ecological environment has been improved. During the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), the provincial forestry authorities have completed 13.21 million mu (880,666 ha.) of forest plantation and 13.23 million mu (882,000 ha.) of forest conservation; restored 14.91 million mu (994,000 ha.) of degraded forests; and, cultivated 39.7 million mu (264,666 ha.) of forests. A “one lake and four rivers” ecological protection area, covering the Dongting Lake, and Xiangjiang, Zhijiang, Yuanshui, Lishui rivers, has been formed. In the Dongting Lake wetland, 386,400 mu of populus nigra were felled or removed. Within the watersheds of the four rivers, efforts were made to turn marginal farmland to forests and wetlands, and construct pilots of small and micro wetlands. Ecological restoration in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Ecological Green Core Area has been done. Construction of 30 provincial demonstration ecological corridors, including Yangtze riverbank Hunan section, started.

People benefited from ecological progress. In recent years, Hunan was approved to employ 35,800 forest rangers. About 100,000 poor people have got rid of poverty through this undertaking. A total of 16.46 billion CNY related fund has been invested into impoverished regions. Concentrated efforts have been made to develop five 100-billion-CNY industries – oil tea, bamboo, ecological and forest tourism, forest-based sectors, and flowers and trees. Hunan’s tea-oil tree plantation area, and tea oil production, and annual output value topped the nation. Forestry industry makes a greater contribution to economic and social development.

Reform and innovation have been furthered. During the 13th Five-year Plan period, a China Oil Tea Scientific and Technological Innovation Valley, and a national key laboratory of woody oil plant resource utilization settled in Hunan. The provincial forest system obtained 74 provincial and above-level sci-tech awards. A total of 3,260 sci-tech experts were sent to rural areas. More than 60% of scientific and technological achievements were commercialized. Hunan Province has topped among all provinces in terms of forestry informatization level for four consecutive years.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn