The Loess Plateau can also "push the window to see the green"|Spring is cool
In early April, Gansu was cool and full of green, and the mountains were full of flowers. Early in the morning, the Nanshan Ecological Park in Kongtong District has welcomed many citizens, who are in groups of three or five, some singing loudly, some exercising, and some holding children to laugh and play. "Especially on weekends, more than 10,000 people go up the mountain every day. "Following in the footsteps of Wang Huaiyi, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Ecological Environment Bureau of Pingliang City, Gansu Province, when I entered the park, I saw lush trees and blooming flowers, and it was hard to imagine that this was once just a barren mountain.
The picture shows Nanshan Ecological Park. Photo by Song Yang
The city's forest coverage rate is 33.8%, which may not be a big deal for the cities of the Central Plains and the south with lush natural vegetation, but for the arid and water-scarce Loess Plateau, such achievements are not easy to come by. In the past five years, Pingliang has maintained an annual afforestation and greening rate of more than 500,000 mu, and its ecological outlook has undergone earth-shaking changes, and it was awarded the title of National Forest City in 2022, and Pingliang has also become the first city in Gansu Province to receive this honor.
Let the citizens push the window to see the greenery and go out into the forest
When you think of the Northwest Territories, it's easy to think of an arid climate, windswept sandstorms, and soil erosion. However, in Pingliang, there are flowers in three seasons and evergreen in four seasons, and what is shown in front of people is the urban green landscape with layers, colors and thickness.
Thought is the precursor to action. The reason why Pingliang can become the first national forest city in the province is inseparable from the city's deep understanding of the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets". Since 2016, Pingliang has put the construction of forestry ecology to an unprecedented height, and established a development strategy of ecological city, green rise, and industrial support. In the five-year afforestation and greening action, party members and cadres took the lead, the masses actively participated, and the city has completed afforestation and greening of more than 3 million acres.
"The natural conditions of Pingliang are not dominant, and there are many difficulties in returning farmland to forests and afforestation, and there is also a lack of relevant experience. So we went to Yan'an, Shaanxi Province and other places to learn from the experience, and see how the same northwest region, similar ecological conditions, climatic conditions, and how they became a national forest city. Pingliang City Forestry Development Planning Survey Team Captain Lv Junjun told reporters. The field research and study laid the foundation for the follow-up work.
In order to allow citizens to see the green through the window and go out into the forest, in 6 years, Pingliang has created 120 municipal-level ecological garden-style unit communities every year, and built a total of 27 large-scale ecological parks, 98 suburban parks in urban areas, as well as many pocket parks, the urban green coverage rate has increased to 41.95%, and the per capita park green space area in urban areas has increased to 15.59 square meters, and the citizens' sense of ecological environment has been significantly improved. Afforestation, the whole people benefit, all the people participate. In spring and autumn every year, Pingliang will organize the city's cadres and masses to carry out voluntary tree-planting activities, and the nation's voluntary tree-planting due diligence rate reaches 97%.
"In the next step, we plan to turn Nanshan Ecological Park into a botanical garden, enhance the popularization of science, and let more citizens pay attention to biodiversity conservation and ecological culture. Lu Junjun said.
Forests are carbon sinks, reservoirs, and money sinks
"According to estimates, there are now 1.1 million acres of forest area in Pingliang that can be traded for carbon sinks, and many southern enterprises want to trade with us, and our attitude towards this has always been relatively prudent and cautious. In the eyes of Wang Xu, secretary of the Pingliang Municipal Party Committee, forests are valuable resources, development advantages, and money bags for future generations.
"The state has put forward the 'double carbon' goal, how can high-energy-consuming enterprises reduce carbon emissions? We must leave the carbon emission target to the enterprises that come to Pingliang for development. Secretary Wang Xu sees the longer-term value of lucid waters and lush mountains. Attaching importance to forests means attaching importance to sustainable economic and social development. Pingliang City adheres to the synchronization of construction and greening, equal emphasis on protection and governance, and coordination between economy and ecology, and opens up the conversion channel of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", so that more and more people can enjoy the green benefits brought by ecological changes.
The picture shows the technicians of Chongxin County Agricultural Industry Investment and Development Co., Ltd. showing the Chinese bees raised to reporters. Photo by Song Yang
Relying on high-quality forest resources, the understory economy has gradually developed and expanded. Pingliang carefully cultivated the apple brand represented by "Jingning Apple", with a brand appraisal value of 18.086 billion yuan. Chongxin County actively explores the development models of "forest + livestock and poultry", "forest + bee" and "forest + brigade", and the county has developed 5,527 acres of economic industries under the forest, built 6 Chinese bee breeding bases in the forest area, 100 chicken and pig enterprises under the forest, and more than 30 farmhouses in the forest, with an average annual economic income of more than 32 million yuan. "The quality of Chinese bee honey is high, and the market price can reach 100 yuan per catty, which has well driven the local people to increase their income and become rich. Liu Weirui, a staff member of Chongxin County Agricultural Industry Investment and Development Co., Ltd., told reporters.
Forests and water depend on each other to nourish all things. Increasing forest coverage is also conducive to the overall improvement of the urban microclimate. With large-scale afforestation and greening, the average annual precipitation in Pingliang City has increased from more than 300 mm in the 80s of the 20th century to more than 500 mm, and the annual flood can exceed 600 mm. The beautiful vision of green mountains and green water is possible in Pingliang.
"In the future, we will continue to green and scientifically on the premise of maintaining the cultivated area, select the right tree species in the right place, and promote the greening work in a suitable way, so as to continuously expand our ecological advantages. Lu Jun said.
