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S4 FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2019 DAILY S1 Ecology and Wuyishan economic focuses growth go puts environment before economic gain on cultural hand-in-hand tourism Area leading the way as China’s first national-level ecological civilization pilot zone By Yuan Shenggao By Yuan Shenggao

Zhong Liangsheng, a beekeeper Wuyishan, a city in ’s in in Fujian province, is developing city of Fujian province, said he green tourism to attract more visi- believes ecological protection tors and promote high-quality local and economic development are development. not contradictory to each other. The city’s tourism revenue Instead, the two can create mutu- reached about 30.8 billion yuan al benefits. ($4.49 billion) last year. But most “The green landscape is our big- tourists only visit for a one-day gest gold mine,” he said. tour of the city, spending that time Zhong’s bee cooperative reaped on activities related to tea, a pillar over 10 million yuan ($1.45 mil- industry in Wuyishan. lion) in annual output value. Wuyishan plans to upgrade its As a veteran from the army, tourism industry by transforming Zhong was first hired as forest from sightseeing to leisure tours, ranger in Wuping back in 1998. from tea-focused tourism to cultur- His job was to dissuade and report al experiences, and also enlarging unlawful felling. the traveling area across the city. Seven projects, with an invest- ment of 5.68 billion yuan, kicked off last month. That involved an international tourist resort, high- The green landscape end hotels, shopping facilities and is our biggest more, to upgrade the local tourism industry. gold mine.’’ The Jialong International Tour- Zhong Liangsheng, a beekeeper ist Resort, for example, will have a in Wuping county giant panda base, a circus park, a With lush vegetation, Bihu Park in city is a demonstration of the local government’s efforts to improve ecology. Provided to China Daily zoo and an animal-themed hotel. The 466.6-hectare large resort will In 2001, Wuping became one By Yuan Shenggao province with a mark of 75.43 zone. their performance to an ecology- instance, cultivating medical combine entertainment, shopping, of the first counties in China to points and municipal- Since then, Fujian has carried based auditing system. herbs, fruit shrubs and fungi, as catering, education and perfor- conduct forestry reformation and n a report on ecological ity with 74.81 points. out 38 reforms for this purpose. The auditing will examine their 75.73 well as raising animals like chick- mance. allow local farmers to operate tree development of China’s Fujian’s coastal city of Eighteen practices have been stud- performance in their duties to points ens and goats. The Wuyistar Tea Park will orga- farms around their homes. various regions, which was ranked No 1 among all the Chi- ied and copied by Chinese regions. maintain the local ecology. The mark that makes Fujian According to Liu Ziyin, an official nize activities such as academic To increase income for the released by the Chinese nese cities in this report, with a One is a tighter assessment of the “To grow at the cost of ecology No 1 in the Chinese Academy at the local forestry administration, study, tea ceremony training, as family and bring wealth to more AcademyI of Engineering in April, mark of more than 80 points. This environmental effect caused by and the environment is no longer of Engineering report for renting the tree farms is another well as industrial and agricultural people, Zhong established a bee Fujian was ranked the first with a means its ecological performance investment projects. our approach to development,” said ecological development option of the government. sightseeing. cooperative in 2011, where some mark of 75.73 points. has reached a world-leading level. In in the north- Zhao Hongyu, head of the Lifang performance in China “We are still exploring new Guo Yuanhai, deputy gen- 300 workers raise bees and sell The report was based on surveys In a recent survey made by west of Fujian, the government of township government. approaches, for better protection eral manager of Wuyistar, said: honey to customers in Fujian, Bei- of the regions’ level of “ecological the State Forestry and Grassland Lifang township recently rejected a added that the township meant that logging was forbidden, of both the ecology and farmers’ “Though the output value of tea jing and Hong Kong. civilization” — a Chinese expres- Administration, Fujian’s forest cov- project proposed by a businessman will welcome businesses to invest according to law. rights,” added Yang Yongquan, in the company has reached over “Good ecology is the best sion for performance in ecological erage reached 66.8 percent. It grew outside the county. in such eco-friendly industries as In Wuping, there are a total of another local forestry official. 100 million yuan, selling tea only resources for companies like development — during 2015-17. 0.85 percentage points from the The businessman intended to modern agriculture and tourism. 5,600 hectares of tree farms includ- To aid the government’s applica- is not enough. Instead, we should ours,” he said. The ecological civilization index previous survey and has ranked build an eel cultivation farm valued Another reform initiative is the ed in various reserves for ecological tion of new measures for develop- develop a leisure tour area based Wuping county now has about is a weighted average index number first in the country for 40 years in at 30 billion yuan ($4.38 million) From left: Tourists take a rafting tour on a river in the Jiulongtan scenic area in . Duan Changzheng / For China Daily government purchase of tree farms’ protection. Logging is not allowed. ing the Fujian ecological pilot zone, on experience of the tea culture.” 216,000 hectares of forest land of 17 subindices including: ecologi- a row. near the Xixi Stream, a tributary Primary school students are taught about beekeepers’ work during a study tour in Jian’ou city. Wei Yongqing / For China Daily rights. To compensate the farm owners, nine local universities and research Millennium Resort Wuyishan, and forest coverage reached 79.7 cal environment, air quality, water The ranks of Fujian and Xiamen of Fujian’s largest river Minjiang. In Yanqian township, Wuping the local government purchased institutions forged an ecological one of the luxurious hotels, intro- percent. quality, per capital GD, pollution are hailed by locals as proof of the The township government’s county, Liang Hancai was the own- the operational rights of the affect- civilization think tank in Novem- duced a top-level management As a national forest economy control, coverage of green plants province’s achievements in devel- appraisal deemed the project er of a tree farm. He could make ed farms. ber 2018. team from the headquarters of the demonstration base, Wuping and total area of natural reserves. oping a national-level ecological likely to affect the water environ- an annual net profit of more than “The purchase is about 22,500 The think tank will use the mem- brand. encourages farmers to join forest- The report said a mark of 80 civilization pilot zone. ment. The investment proposal was We are still exploring new approaches, for better 100,000 yuan by selling timber and yuan a hectare and the price is bers’ research to conduct more The resort hotel invested by Shi- related business, such as planting, points meant a performance on par In June 2016, Fujian was denied. protection of both the ecology and farmers’ rights.’’ other related products. acceptable,” Liang said. systematic and feasible studies to mao Group, is expected to intro- breeding, products’ processing with a world-leading level. Fujian’s approved by the central govern- Guangze county’s government Yang Yongquan, official at the forestry bureau in Wuping county However, in 2015 an area of more He added that he can continue help the government in decision- duce the local natural landscape and sightseeing. performance is close to that. ment as the country’s first national- leaders, as well as officials in the than 30 hectares in his farm was to utilize or develop the under- making, according to its founding into its decoration and design, Fujian province is continuing Fujian is followed by level ecological civilization pilot rest of Fujian, are required to link included in a nature reserve. This forest resources in the farm. For declaration. according to Wang Yuansheng, its reforms on forestry-related director of the city’s development, policies, to better protect ecology reform and technology bureau. and boost the regional economy. The Wufu town of Wuyishan has The aim is to balance ecological Green revolution turning counties’ fortunes around Protecting ecosystem with environment-friendly policies become a hot spot for investors reservation with economic devel- in the tourism industry, as eight opment, an official from the pro- cultural tourism-related projects vincial forestry bureau said. By Liang Kaiyan pany to conserve water in a bid to help on UNESCO’s world heritage list. The By Song Mengxing entities involving professional for- Statistics showed the province and 12 agricultural tourism-relat- More methods will be released control soil erosion. has combined soil erosion pre- estry cooperatives and household planted 473,000 hectares of trees on ed projects have been operational to solve challenges, which include After decades of afforestation 10 With the company’s help, the Shibi vention with development of tour- Mountains and rivers are com- tree farms. 473,000 the mountains and 14,200 hectares there. the scattering of forestry resourc- efforts, in the south- million yuan township adopted a new type of envi- ism facilities. Trees and grasses have monly seen in Fujian, making natu- Development of the forestry hectares of trees in villages and towns since “The Wufu town is expected to be es, difficulty for foresters to west of Fujian province has set a role The annual investment from the ronmental protection method that been planted in scenic areas and along ral preservation a significant prior- industry needs financial support, 2014. a new driver for the local economy,” of trees have been planted on the receive loans and the expansion model for environmental protection. provincial government to help features tree planting and engineer- roads. Farmland on mountain slopes ity of the province in East China. insiders said. Fujian encourages Local authorities also highlighted said Li Xiaoyong, head of the town- mountains in Fujian province of business. Its experience has been a lesson for the Changting in soil erosion control ing measures. Just three years later, have been turned in forests. Fujian’s forestry authorities want using forest rights as collateral to scientific management of forests. ship government. since 2014 In December 2018, the first “for- rest of the province. forest coverage in Shibi reached 85 , at the source of to do more to improve the region’s obtain loans and other financial They imposed a quota on cutting Wuyishan also plans to offer estry ecology bank” was opened Changting used to suffer the worst percent and the area of sandy land the Minjiang River, has focused on the ecology. services. trees on the mountain slopes to diversified tourism products such in of soil erosion in Fujian because of poor from 59.8 percent in 1986 to 79.8 per- was reduced by 70 percent, according dairy industry after solving its soil ero- Woods are among the most The province is a forerunner tree farms, reducing the number avoid water erosion and increase as rural tours, sports and family city of Fujian. ecological conditions. The county fea- cent in 2017. As a result, the soil ero- to local officials. sion. Dairy is a sector that demands a important means of production in nationally for tree farm reform in of such farms from 235 to 129 in forest coverage. trips. It helps integrate the tree farms tured red soil and hills with little veg- sion rate decreased, according to the In Datian, the traditional mining sound ecological environment. Fujian’s rural areas and also offer major ecological areas. The local three years. Employee income in the In 2014, they closed mountain “The multiple products aim to scattered in the county by entrust- etation. country’s forestry bureau. county in central Fujian, the govern- The county has developed a high- the most potential for farmers to governments have bought or rented farms increased and infrastructure slopes of about 7,000 square kilome- enrich experiences for visitors and ed management, purchase, rental In 1983, the provincial government In 2016, Fujian provincial govern- ment has highlighted what can be tech, ecological-friendly dairy industry increase income. such forests for nature reserves and was improved during that period. ters to avoid logging. promote high-quality development and mortgage guarantees, said designated Changting as a pilot area ment called on other regions to learn done with its deserted mines. The park at a total investment of 2.67 bil- Representatives from the provin- other ecological zones, where log- In recent years, Fujian has pro- Greening projects in cities and of the local tourism industry,” said Zhao Gangyuan, head of the state- for soil erosion control. Since 2000, the from Changting’s experience in envi- government has cooperated with the lion yuan. cial forestry bureau said Fujian has ging is restricted, to balance eco- moted afforestation in mountainous towns are also a focus of Fujian’s Zhang Xianjun, deputy mayor of owned forest farm in Shunchang, provincial government has invested 10 ronmental protection and sustainable province’s research institution for the “The sound ecological environment released four guideline documents logical protection with foresters’ areas, cities, countrysides and also forestry authorities. They aim to Wuyishan. which operates the bank. million yuan ($1.46 million) annually development. ecological restoration of mines. Some now is the core competitiveness of the on promoting forestry reform since interests. Fujian has piloted such a on the coasts. The province encour- have 100 forest cities and towns, The city welcomed more than In in the west on average to help control soil erosion Changting’s neighboring county, of the mining areas have been trans- county to attract big dairy industry 2014. It is fostering new business practice for tree farms, which has a ages planting trees around dwell- improve 100 urban forest parks and 320,000 visits during this year’s of Fujian, there are about 13,000 and associated poverty alleviation in Ninghua used to be the second-most formed into forests, farms, parks and projects,” said Zheng Jianbo, Party sec- entities and leading private capital total area of 272,000 or 18,133 ings, roads, villages and waters. build 100 urban afforestation dem- May Day period, up 96 percent hectares of bamboo forests. Local the county. serious soil-eroded area in Fujian prov- ecotourism destinations. retary of the county. From top: After a decade of improvement, the Mulan Stream has to cooperate with foresters, insid- hectares, since 2016. More precious broad-leaf species onstration areas by the end of 2022. year-on-year. Tourism revenue residents can get income from the From 1983 to 2017, the forest area in ince. Yongding district of Longyan city become a scenic river in city. Wei Yongqing / for China Daily ers said. Other forms of forestry reform have been planted for afforestation reached 340 million yuan, 108 per- carbon trading business, accord- Changting grew to more than 116,600 In 2012, the county government is home to a number of tulous, the Contact the writer at A tea farm dotted with sakura flowers in city has To date, the province is home to can also be seen in Fujian. The prov- and ecological landscape belts have Contact the writer at cent higher than the same period ing to the county’s officials. hectares. Forest coverage increased spent 5 million yuan setting up a com- special residential buildings included [email protected] become a popular destination for tourists. Wang Min / for China Daily more than 5,200 new-type business ince integrated some State-owned been built in forests. [email protected] in 2018.