In 2024, China continues its ambitious journey towards environmental sustainability, transforming arid regions into thriving oases and safeguarding vital water resources. This year’s initiatives highlight the nation’s commitment to high-quality development, ecological conservation, and biodiversity protection.
Ningxia's Oasis Transformation
In northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, an arid land of shifting sands has been transformed into a flourishing oasis over the past few decades thanks to a sustained desertification control mission. The Ningxia model was showcased at the China Pavilion at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Valerie Hickey, global director of the Environment Department at the World Bank, highlighted at the event that the approach demonstrates how poverty can be alleviated and prosperity created by establishing livable environments, improving land, and restoring landscapes.
This model serves as a microcosm of China's broader efforts in environmental and ecological governance, emphasizing sustainable development and biodiversity protection across the nation.
Yellow River: A Beautiful Future Ahead
The conservation of the Yellow River remains a long-term priority for the government. Flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Mother River irrigates about 17 percent of China's arable land and supports 13 percent of its grain production, making its protection vital.
Since the Yellow River Protection Law took effect in April 2023, China has addressed issues such as water shortages, ecological fragility, and flooding. President Xi Jinping has visited nine provinces and autonomous regions along the river since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, promoting continuous progress in ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.
During his inspection of a section of the Yellow River near the Zhongshan Bridge in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, in September, Xi emphasized, \"Protection is a precondition for development, and lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,\" expressing confidence in the river's future beauty.
Biodiversity Conservation in Qinghai
President Xi's inspection tour to Qinghai Province in June underscored the importance of safeguarding the Sanjiangyuan area—the origin of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers. Known as \"the water tower of China,\" this region is crucial for biodiversity and water conservation.
Over the past five years, the area of water bodies and wetland ecosystems in Sanjiangyuan has increased by 309 square kilometers, with annual water conservation rising by more than 6 percent. The Three-River-Source National Park, one of China's first national parks, has seen steady growth in wildlife populations and continuous improvement in biodiversity. Notably, the number of Tibetan antelopes has risen from fewer than 20,000 in the early 1980s to over 70,000 today, upgrading the species' status from endangered to near-endangered.
Qinghai has designated 296,400 square kilometers as ecological protection \"red lines,\" according to recent spatial planning documents aimed for 2035. Alongside national parks and the ecological protection red-line strategy, China has expanded its nature reserve system to nearly 10,000 reserves, covering about 18 percent of its total land area. This expansion marks the largest growth in forest resources of any country, as highlighted in the 2021 white paper titled \"Biodiversity Conservation in China.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
