Xinhua News Agency, Kunming, October 10th Topic: Freedom of frost and sky competition-written at the opening of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Xinhua News Agency reporter
Dianchi Lake is rippling, and the fragrance of osmanthus osmanthus is fragrant. From October 11th to 15th, the first phase of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) will be held in the beautiful spring city of Kunming. At this moment, the Kunming Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center, the venue of the conference, is like a huge peacock, with a splendid display, waiting to embrace guests from all over the world.
“Ecological Civilization: Building a Community of Life on Earth” is not only the theme of this conference, but also a beautiful message from mankind to the future. As an important meeting of the United Nations in the field of ecological environment, the blueprint for global biodiversity governance in the next 10 years will move from here to the world.
On October 8, 2021, the State Council Information Office published the white paper “China’s Biodiversity Conservation”.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liangkuai
Beautiful rivers and mountains, full of vitality, showing the beautiful China
To the north of the Tianshan Mountains and to the east of the Junggar Basin, the Xinjiang Kalamaili Mountain Ungulate Wildlife Nature Reserve is located here.
Not long ago, Wang Zhenbiao, from the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Research Center, escorted 18 wild horses into the Arbor Xibai Wildlife Site in the Reserve. They want to bid farewell to captivity and return to the wilderness where their ancestors inhabited and thrived.
Once, the only wild horses remaining on earth were mainly kept in captivity in foreign zoos. In 1985, my country brought back 11 wild horses to start this endangered species rescue operation; after more than ten years of hard work, wild horses were released into the wild for the first time in 2001; at the end of 2020, the total number of wild wild horses in the reserve was 274, wild horses in Xinjiang The total number has accounted for about one-fifth of the total number of mustangs in the world.
The wild horse, like a microcosm, witnesses China’s efforts to protect biodiversity, and also interprets the significance of biodiversity to China and the world.
This is a Przewalski’s wild horse photographed at the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Research Center on August 9, 2021.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei
Biodiversity is related to human well-being and is an important foundation for human survival and development.
More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods, and more than 1.6 billion people rely on forests and non-timber forest products for their livelihoods. More than 50% of the world‘s pharmaceutical ingredients are derived from natural plants and animals.
However, the global species extinction rate is accelerating, and the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems pose a major risk to human survival and development.
“We must stand at the height of being responsible for human civilization, respect nature, conform to nature, protect nature, explore the way of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, promote the coordination and unity of economic development and ecological protection, and build a prosperous, clean and beautiful world.” On September 30, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out in a video speech at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit.
Biodiversity protection has a Chinese voice and even more Chinese contributions.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on ecological civilization, my country has continuously strengthened the protection and restoration of wildlife and habitats through various measures such as promoting the construction of a natural reserve system and severely cracking down on illegal trade.
The white paper “China’s Biodiversity Conservation” released on October 8 shows that 90% of terrestrial ecosystem types and 71% of national key protected wild animal and plant species are effectively protected.
From the south to the north, from the inland to the seashore, more and more rare birds and animals are returning, showing the beauty of nature and ecology——
This year, one of the biggest “net celebrities” in the global animal world is the wild Asian elephants in Yunnan. Moving from north to south, the elephant group traveled more than 1,000 kilometers in a roundabout way. The elephant protection action of the Chinese government and the masses won the recognition of the world. The white paper introduced that through years of protection, the number of wild Asian elephants in my country has increased from 180 in the 1980s to about 300 at present.
Wild elephant (drone photo) taken in Xiyang Yi Nationality Township, Jinning District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province on June 7, 2021.Xinhua News Agency
This is an elephant herd (drone photo) taken in Yuanjiang County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province on August 9, 2021.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao
Remember the Siberian tiger “Wandashan No. 1” that “entered the village” this year? It was the first wild Siberian tiger successfully rescued and released in my country. In order to promote the maintenance, restoration and improvement of tiger habitats, my country has actively promoted the pilot construction of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park in the southern Laoyeling area at the junction of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, with a total area of more than 1.46 million hectares. Tigers and leopards are hidden deep in the forest, and the population of wild Siberian tigers in my country is showing an increasing trend.
On May 18, 2021, at the forest farm of Heilongjiang Province Muling Forestry Bureau Co., Ltd., the wild Siberian tiger, which was successfully rescued in Mishan City, walked out of the iron box and returned to nature (video screenshot).Xinhua News Agency
The roof of the world, snow-covered plateaus, and biodiversity are also accelerating recovery. The number of black-necked cranes rose from less than 3,000 to more than 8,000, and the number of Tibetan antelopes rose to about 300,000. The second survey of terrestrial wildlife resources found 5 new species such as the white-cheeked macaque, and 5 new recorded species in China such as the Dongge Lin warbler.
The threat level of giant pandas has been reduced from “endangered” to “vulnerable”. The “Smiling Angel” Yangtze finless porpoise frequently appears, and snow leopards in Sanjiangyuan National Park and other places frequently appear… More and more news about biodiversity, Become a topic that people talk about.
This is a picture of wild giant panda activity (profile picture) taken by an infrared camera in the Baishuijiang area of the Giant Panda National Park in Gansu. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve Administration of Gansu)
Biodiversity protection actions are equally unprecedented in the plant world.
The Orchid is in the empty valley, and the fuss are strange. The beauty of orchids has been sung by countless poems since ancient times, and it has flourished in the history of our country.
Due to over-utilization at home and abroad and deformed market demand, some wild orchid resources have been severely damaged.
Weixi Lisu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, is the native place and main producing area of Nelumbo nucifera. There have been recorded 150 native orchid species, more than 80 distinctive famous orchids and more than 200 new species. For better protection, this year Weixi County completely banned the indiscriminate and indiscriminate digging of wild orchids. Although the flowering period has not yet arrived, orchids are quietly growing in the mountains and will be fragrant in the world in a few months.
my country is one of the countries with the richest plant diversity in the world, with more than 36,000 species of higher plants, accounting for about 10% of the world‘s total, and more than half of the species are endemic to China.
In-situ conservation, ex-situ conservation, and return to the wild…Through continuous protection of rare and endangered wild plants, 120 species of wild plants with extremely small populations, including Debao cycads, canopy woods, and Baishanzu fir, have been rescued and protected, and populations of some endangered species Gradually recover.
“The protection of wild animals and plants not only protects a healthy and stable ecosystem, but also protects genetic diversity and protects our brighter tomorrow.” said Zhang Zhizhong, director of the Wildlife Protection Department of the National Forestry and Grass Administration.
A species is a gene pool. If the gene of the species has not been developed, it will be lost forever, and the loss is immeasurable. It was those plants of Artemisia annua swaying in the wind that Tu Youyou discovered artemisinin, bringing a new antimalarial drug to the world; it was with wild rice genes retained that Yuan Longping cultivated hybrid rice for the Chinese. The security of food rations in China has brought heavy guarantees, adding to China’s contribution to world food security.
Plant seeds (data photos) preserved in the Wildlife Germplasm Bank of Southwest China. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
In the verdant dense forests in the northern suburbs of Kunming, the Wildlife Germplasm Bank of Southwest China preserves more than 10,000 plant seeds, which are expected to survive for decades or even thousands of years. This germplasm resource bank, together with the Kew Millennium Seed Bank in the United Kingdom and the Svalbard Global Seed Bank in Norway, has become an important facility for global biodiversity conservation.
In recent years, my country has paid more attention to the protection of germplasm resources. It has established nearly 200 botanical gardens of various levels and collected more than 20,000 species; basically completed cycads, palms, and key orchids and Magnoliaceae native to my country. Collection and preservation of the germplasm resources of rare wild plants.
This year, my country has adjusted and updated the list of national key protected wild animals and wild plants, added 517 species (types) of wild animals and 300 species (types) of wild plants, and put 65 species of wild animals including jackals and Yangtze finless porpoises under national secondary protection. Upgrading to the first level, almost all species of orchids are included in the new list, and the scope and intensity of protection have been further increased.
This is a snow leopard photographed in the Qinghai area of the Qilian Mountain National Park System Pilot Area on April 14, 2018. Issued by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Bao Yongqing)
Damei rivers and mountains, thousands of plants, birds and beasts, are full of vitality. Blooming beautiful China and welcoming a bright future together.
Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, to solve the harmonious coexistence of man and nature
The former “Bird Fighter” Hou Tiguo has now become a “Bird Protector”.
He lives in Baihualing Village, Longyang District, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province. It is located at the eastern foot of Gaoligong Mountain in the “World Species Gene Bank”. It has a superior ecological environment and rich bird resources. It is known as a “five-star bird-watching sanctuary”.
“I was poor when I was young, and I didn’t have meat to eat. I went up to the mountain to shoot birds if I wanted to eat meat.” Hou Tiguo said, his unique skill is to play a slingshot.
On December 4, 2020, in Baihualing Village, Longyang District, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, “Bird Guide” Hou Tiguo (second from right) was watching his bird at his “Bird Pond”.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao
In recent years, bird watching eco-tourism has been in the ascendant. More and more people went to Baihualing to watch and shoot birds. Hou Tiguo put down the slingshot and became a “bird guide.”
“Bird-watching tours” also sparked fire in the catering, homestay and other industries, and last year alone increased the villagers’ income by more than 10 million yuan. There is no bird hunting in Baihualing Village. The “Gaoligong Mountain Farmers Biodiversity Protection Association” has been established for many years, and its members have grown to more than 150 people.
Man and nature should live in harmony.
Industrial civilization has created huge material wealth, but it has also brought about an ecological crisis. The fast-moving Chinese train will inevitably encounter problems such as environmental pollution, ecological destruction, and biodiversity loss.
The prosperity of ecology leads to the prosperity of civilization, and the decline of ecology leads to the decline of civilization. Looking back through the dust of history, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “The ecological environment is the foundation of human survival and development, and changes in the ecological environment directly affect the success and decline of civilization.”
On July 5, 2021, the mother of the Yangtze finless porpoise and the small finless porpoise swim in the water at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken the construction of ecological civilization as an important part of promoting the overall layout of the “five in one” and coordinating the promotion of the “four comprehensive” strategic layout. We have put forward a series of new concepts, new thoughts and new strategies.
The construction of ecological civilization, which is promoted with unprecedented strength, limits economic activities and human behavior to the limits that natural resources and ecological environment can withstand, and leaves time and space for natural ecology to recuperate.
Accelerate the promotion of the top-level design of ecological civilization and the construction of an institutional system-
On the basis of various types of nature reserves, my country has innovated the ecological space protection model and creatively proposed a red line system for ecological protection.
“This is an important institutional innovation for China’s land and space planning and the reform of the ecological environment system and mechanism.” said Gao Jixi, director of the Satellite Environment Application Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Development provides sustainable ecological support.
At present, the national ecological protection red line delineation is basically completed, and the initially delineated area is not less than 25% of the land area, covering key ecological function areas, ecological environment sensitive areas and fragile areas, and covering the country’s biodiversity The key areas of sexual distribution effectively protect biological species and their habitats.
To reshape the relationship between man and nature, the “Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Ecological Civilization” and the “Overall Plan for the Reform of Ecological Civilization System” have been issued one after another. Dozens of reform plans involving the construction of ecological civilization have been comprehensively deployed and arranged.
Let the quality of the ecological environment become a rigid constraint, the effective implementation of systems such as the evaluation and assessment of ecological civilization construction goals, the audit of natural resource assets, and the accountability of ecological environmental damage, and the gradual improvement of the main function zone system.
Promote pollution prevention and control with the power of the system. Environmental governance systems such as ecological environment monitoring data quality management, pollution discharge permits, river (lake) long system, and prohibition of foreign garbage entry have come into effect.
Giving play to the guiding role of green economic policies, the formulation and implementation of environmental economic policies such as green financial reform, natural resource balance sheet preparation, environmental protection tax levy, and ecological protection compensation are progressing smoothly.
Win the battle of pollution prevention and control——
The sky is bluer. From the fog and haze that locked the city in the past few years to the fact that the blue sky and white clouds are resident now, the percentage of days with good air quality in cities at prefecture-level and above across the country will reach 87% in 2020, exceeding the “13th Five-Year Plan” target by 2.5 percentage points.
The water is clearer, and the smelly gutters in front of and behind the people’s houses have quietly become gurgling streams. In 2020, the proportion of surface water sections with Grade I to III water quality will rise to 83.4%, and the proportion of sections with water quality inferior to Grade V will drop to 0.6%.
The mountains and rivers are more beautiful. Some places used to lack forests and greens, and the sky was full of yellow sand, but now they are full of green hills. The forest coverage rate in my country has increased to 23.04%, the forest stock volume has increased to 17.56 billion cubic meters, and the area of artificial forests has ranked first in the world.
Keep the green water and green mountains in exchange for Jinshan Yinshan——
Relying on the mountains to eat the mountains and relying on the sea to eat the sea is the survival wisdom left by our ancestors.
Imposition photo: The picture above is a profile photo of Yu Village, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province in the 1980s; the picture below shows tourists visiting the newly renovated Yu Village on April 24, 2018 (Xinhua News Agency) (Photo by reporter Weng Xinyang).Xinhua News Agency
In Yucun, Tianhuangping Town, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County, Zhejiang, where the concept of “green waters and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains” originated, the shift from “selling stones” to “selling scenery” reflects a major change in China’s development philosophy.
Villager Hu Bin is a native of the country. The sight of digging in the mountains, rumbling cannons, and dusting the sky in the village is the deepest memory of his childhood. In the past few years, the mines were closed to restore the ecology, and Yucun has four seasons. Four years ago, Hu Bin, who had worked abroad for many years, opened an inn in his hometown and his business was booming.
Exploring the calculation of the gross value of ecosystem production, expanding the horizontal ecological compensation of the river basin, and vigorously developing the green ecological industry… Various localities have explored the specific practice of transforming “green water and green mountains” into “golden mountains and silver mountains”, and have taken solid steps.
People are delighted to see that the herders who used to rely on the mountains and eat the mountains have now become forest rangers, and the fishermen who put down their fishing nets have joined the fishing team. Rural tours and ecological tours have made the people richer and the ecology is more beautiful, and ecological protection and economic development have achieved a win-win situation. road.
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The Chinese wisdom and Chinese plan of the harmony between man and nature and the natural law have also won the recognition of the world. The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity released the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook in September last year, which showed China’s successful experience in biodiversity conservation 13 times.
Elizabeth Murema, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, said that China is a strong supporter and contributor to global biodiversity conservation, and the concept of ecological civilization proposed by China is crucial for countries to achieve global biodiversity goals. It is important. The work in promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature is worthy of emulation and study by all countries.
Human beings share the same breath, all things share the same destiny, and join hands to build a beautiful home
Alarms from nature are bursting–
According to relevant United Nations reports, the global forest area lost 1.78 million square kilometers from 1990 to 2020, which is about the size of Libya. The area covered by live corals has been reduced by nearly half in the past 150 years, and the rate of decline has accelerated significantly in the past two to three decades.
Relevant reports show that there are currently about 1 million animal and plant species facing extinction threats, and many of them may become extinct in the next few decades. The current rate of species extinction is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average of the past 10 million years, and it is accelerating.
“We are destroying the ecosystem that supports our society.” UN Secretary-General Guterres said, “The degradation of nature is destroying the food, water and resources that humans depend on.” But he also said that the earth is capable of restoring. “We still have time to reverse the damage we have caused.”
Everything is calling for help, and human beings have to answer.
At present, human beings are at the crossroads of protecting biodiversity and realizing global sustainable development. In the face of global crises and challenges, mankind and nature are a community of shared destiny that both prosper and destroy. The international community can only move forward hand in hand.
At the United Nations Biodiversity Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that we must work together and act quickly to protect in development, develop in protection, and build a harmonious and beautiful home for all things.
To build a beautiful home together is a solemn commitment from China.
In May 2016, the United Nations Environment Program released the report “Green Waters and Green Mountains Are Golden Mountains and Silver Mountains: Strategies and Actions for China’s Ecological Civilization”. The construction of China’s ecological civilization has become a useful exploration and concrete practice of the concept of sustainable development, providing experience and reference for other countries to deal with similar economic, environmental and social challenges.
China actively implements the “Convention on Biological Diversity” and its protocols. Starting in 2019, China has become the largest contributor to the core budget of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its protocols. China has continued to increase its contribution to the Global Environment Facility and has become the largest donor country for developing countries in the Global Environment Facility, which has strongly supported the protection of global biodiversity.
On September 21 this year, at the general debate of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, President Xi Jinping proposed a global development initiative to improve global environmental governance, actively respond to climate change, and build a community of human and natural life. Accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation to achieve green recovery and development.
“China will strive to achieve carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. This requires hard work, but we will do our best.” The sonorous words further release to the world China’s unswerving green development. Strong signal of the road.
To build a beautiful home together is the responsibility of a major country from China.
This is a zebra taken in Nairobi National Park, Kenya on May 19, 2021.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Long Lei
In Kenya, the Nei-Ma Railway built by a Chinese company passes through the Nairobi National Park and extends far away to benefit the local people.
Facing the beautiful natural scenery and groups of wild animals, Chinese companies considered how to protect the migration channels of wild animals at the beginning of the project design.
In order to ensure the free passage of large animals such as giraffes, the first phase of the Nei-Ma Railway adopted a 6.5-kilometer-long bridge across the park plan. The bridge was also set up with sound barriers to reduce the noise of trains passing by, so as to minimize the impact on wild animals. Influence.
There are more stories like this.
During the construction of the Kalote Hydropower Station in Pakistan, Chinese companies organized experts to conduct critical habitat assessments and adopted various measures to protect local fish.
On February 7, 2018, on the beach near the dormitory area of the Tema Port Expansion Project of China Harbour Engineering Co., Ltd., the staff put the baby turtles on the beach and let them climb back to the sea on their own. During the construction of the project, the company paid special attention to monitoring the living environment of sea turtles, and established a “turtle breeding center” to incubate and release tens of thousands of small sea turtles.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Shuting
The construction area of the new container terminal project of Tema Port in Ghana is one of the main spawning places of sea turtles in West Africa. Chinese companies pay special attention to monitoring the living environment of sea turtles during the construction of the project, and set up a “turtle breeding center” to incubate. Thousands of baby turtles were released.
Building a beautiful home together is a firm proposition from China.
Go hand in hand to create a better future. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to COP15 to be held in Kunming, and has issued the “Spring City Invitation” to the world at many important international conferences, discussing new strategies for global biodiversity governance with all parties, and jointly launching global biodiversity governance. New process.
Ambitious and pragmatic, full of challenges and expectations, along with hardships and joy, this conference will summarize the progress and experience in the implementation of the global biodiversity target in the past 10 years, and gather the joint efforts of contracting parties, international organizations and all stakeholders to formulate The “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework” brings opportunities for transformational changes in biodiversity conservation and is a landmark conference.
As promised, as the host country and chairman of COP15, China will continue to be a practitioner and leader of ecological civilization, take the road of sustainable development, continue to maintain and strengthen the determination to build ecological civilization, and increase biodiversity protection. Adhere to respect for nature, conform to nature, protect nature, improve the quality and stability of natural ecosystems, make arduous efforts to fulfill the carbon peak and carbon neutral commitments, and play a greater role in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Starting from Kunming, moving forward hand in hand, working together, we will definitely be able to build a beautiful world in which everything is harmonious! (Reporters Li Yin, Zou Wei, Gao Jing, Wang Changshan, Hu Lu, Wang Libin)