STROLLINGthroughthebelt-shapewetlandparkinQiongzhongLiandMiaoAutonomousCountyisatrulywonderfulexperience,offeringbeautifulsceneryandasereneenvironment.However,mostpeopledon’tknowthatjustafewyearsago,theparkwasanuncultivatedlandwithnothingmorethanadiscardedpond.
Similarly,justsouthofthebustlingrailwaystationofHaikou,thecapitalofHainan,liesagreenwetland,whichwastransformedfromawasteyardin2017.
HainanProvincehaslongbeenafront-runneramongChineseprovincesforitsworkinmaintainingahealthyandgreenecologicalenvironment.Forexample,in2017,theaveragedensityofPM2.5,themaincomponentofurbanpollution,wasjust18microgramspercubicmeterinHainan;significantlylowerthanotherregions,butstilldidnotmeetthestandardsetbytheprovincialgovernment.
ImprovingtheEnvironment
“Ecologicalissuesareusuallyoverlookediftheenvironmentisgenerallygoodenough.Duetothismentality,governmentofficialsandcompaniestendtopaylessattentiontoenvironmentalprotection,”saidDengXiaogang,headofHainan’senvironmentalprotectiondepartment.HesaidthatthereisstillsomebigdevelopmentgapbetweenHainanandothermaturetouristdestinationsinforeigncountries.
AccordingtoDeng,themajorpollutantsontheislandaremotorvehicleexhaustandflyingdustparticles.Thefirstisattributedtotheincreasingnumberofmotorvehiclesandexcessemissionfromoutdateddieselvehicles.Thelattermainlycomesfromconstructionsitesandroadwork.Regardingthewaterenvironment,pollutantsandwastecanbespottedinrivers,enclosedlakes,brooksthatpourintothesea,andoffshoremarineareas.
Tocombattheseenvironmentalchallenges,Hainanplanstotacklepollutioninthreedistinctways.First,todealwithairpollution,thegovernmenthasimplementedaslewofmeasures,includingadoptingtheChinaVIemissionstandardbytheendofSeptember2018,graduallytakinghigh-emissionvehiclesofftheroad,andencouragingmedium-andheavy-dutydieselvehiclestoinstallparticlepurificationsystemsoverthenexttwotothreeyears.
Thesecondmeasureaimstotacklewaterpollution.Sofar,126bodiesofwaterhavebeenidentifiedontheisland,includingenclosedlakesandrivers,riversemptyingintothesea,andoffshorewaters.EffortswillbetakentoensurethatthewaterqualityofallbodiesofwaterisaboveNationalGradeV.
Thefinalplanistostrengthentheinfrastructureinenvironmentalprotection.Theisland’scurrentfacilitiesarefailingtomeettheneedstotreatincreasingsewageandwaste,includingsolidandhazardouswastes,bothincitiesandruralareas.Ahigherproportionofthebudgetwillbeallocatedtoimprovingtheefficiencyofsewageandrefusedisposal.
ProtectingtheOcean
Marineenvironmentsaregenerallymuchmorecomplexthanlandenvironments,posingagreaterchallengeinprotectingthem.Accordingtoacoastalareacleanupcampaignin2015andanationalmarineareainspectionin2017,Hainanfacedseveralseriousproblems,suchasillegalseareclamation,pollutionfromland-basedsources,coastlineencroachment,aquaculturepollution,destructionofcoastalprotectionforests,anddestructionoffisheryresources.
Asabigislandprovince,Hainanhasintensifiedeffortstoprotectanddevelopitsmarineenvironment.In2015,itcarriedoutacomprehensiveinvestigationonits1,823-km-longcoastline,anddealtwith805illegalcases.In2017,theHainanprovincialgovernmentestablishedhigherstandardsformarineprotection.Measuresweretakentostrengthenmarineenvironmentalmanagement,comprehensivemanagementoftheoceanandislands,andecologicalprotectionandrestoration.
Toachievethis,acorrelativemechanismbetweenlandandseapollutionpreventionandmanagementwasestablishedtoimprovethecomprehensiveprotectionandrestorationoflandmarineecosystems.Effortsincludedslashingthenumberoffishingboats,andimplementingaquotasystemforinshorefishing.Aquafarmsinmudflatsandoffshoreareasarenowcontrolledandmanagedinastrict,scientificway.Afewareasarenowoff-limitstodevelopingaquaculture.Inplaceswithvulnerableecosystemsandcoastaltourismzones,aquafarmswillbegraduallyrevertedbacktoforests,wetlands,andsea.
Tobetterprotectthecoves,theheadsoflocalgovernmentsaredesignated“covechiefs”whoareaccountableforthecoveenvironmentmanagementandprotection.Theshippingindustryisencouragedtoutilizemoresustainablemethodsofdevelopmentandpollutioncausedbyshipsandharborsisunderstrictcontrol.
“ForHainan,protectingboththelandandmarineecosystemshouldbethenumberonepriority,”saidLiuCigui,secretaryoftheHainanProvincialCommitteeoftheCPC.“AgoodecologyisreallyimportanttoHainan,andgoodmarineecologyisvitalfortheprovince’sfurtherdevelopment.”
AVillage’sGreenDevelopment
About11kmfromdowntownHaikouCityisasmallvillagecalledShicha,situatedatthefootofMa’anlingVolcano.Itboastsamildclimateandseleniumrichvolcanicashwhichisbeneficialforthegrowthofarareherb,dendrobium.Inatraditionaldendrobiumplantation,thousandsofeconomicandornamentaltreesareplanted,suchasrosewood,Chineseeaglewoodtrees,bischofiapolycarpa,andpawpawtrees.Animalslikesquirrels,pheasants,andlizardsfrequentlyvisittheplanation,inturnalsodrawingmoretourists.
Turningplantationsintotourismsitesisapartofthevillage’sfutureplan,saidHongYiqian,headofthevillagers’committee.Headdedthattheyarealsocommittedtodevelopinganindustrialchainarounddendrobium,forexample,usingitfordrinks,wine,andcosmetics.Inaddition,theyalsoplantoregisterageographicaltrademarkfortheiragriculturalproducts,includingdendrobium,coffee,andblackbeans,tohighlightthevolcanicfeatureoftheirbrands.
Afewyearsago,ShichaVillagebuilta20-km-longroadlinkingeighthamlets,fivevolcanicvents,andninekarstcaves.Nowadays,visitorsliketoridebikesalongthisroad,takinginthefreshairandenjoyingtheuniquescenery.
HongYiqianbelievesShichaVillagewillprosperwithmoregreendevelop-ment.“Mountains,waters,forests,farmland,lakes,andgrasslandsareallpartofourcommunity,”saidHong.
EnvironmentAssessment
Inrecentyears,HainanProvincehasvetoedandshutdownhundredsofprojectswhichfailedtomeetenvironmentalprotectionstandards.
Theprovincealsoquantitativelyevaluatedecologicalprotection,whichbecameakeypartofthegovernment’sperformanceassessmentandreceivedpublicsupervision.By2020,theprovincevowstoincreasetheforestcoveragetonolessthan62percent,haveatleast98percentofayearwithgoodairquality,andcleanupatleast95percentofrivers,lakes,andreservoirs,andatleast95percentofoffshoreseawaters.
ThesefiguresrepresenttheminimumstandardsforHainan’sfuturegoals,saidDengXiaogang.“Thekeyistoimplementmeasuresinbothlivingandproductionmodes,andformacomprehensivesystemthatthegovernment,enterprises,andthepublicallparticipatein,”hesaid.
FromAugusttoSeptemberof2017,thecentralgovernmentcarriedoutanenvironmentalprotectioninspectioninHainan.Usingthisopportunity,theprovincescrutinizeditsecologicalandenvironmentalsituation.Withinamonth,360peoplewereinterviewed,and246wereheldaccountableforactionswhichnegativelyaffectedtheenvironment.
Hainanalsoplanstoestablishanecologicalcompensationsystem.Underthisperformance-orientedsystem,thosewhodamagetheenvironmentwillbeheldresponsibleunderpenaltyoflaw,thosewhobenefitfromtheenvironmentalprotectionwillpaytouseit,andthosewhoprotecttheenvironmentwillreceivecompensation.
ZHANGLIJUANisareporterwithChinaReport.