Illustration： How does this red line of ecological protection keep the blue sky and green water around us？
Original title: The Bottom Line and Lifeline of Safeguarding and Maintaining National Ecological Security — — Interpretation of "Several Opinions on Delineating and Strictly Adhering to the Red Line of Ecological Protection"
The "Several Opinions on Delineating and Strictly Adhering to the Red Line of Ecological Protection" issued by the General Offices of the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council was officially announced on the 7th, which marked the official and comprehensive start of the red line delineation and system construction of ecological protection in China.
Can we draw a red line for ecological protection to better retain the blue sky and green water, and can we keep the bottom line and lifeline of China’s ecological security?
"The wind is rustling and the water is cold, and all beings will never return!"
This is not rhetoric, but an epitaph for extinct animals on the earth. In the Nanhaizi Elk Garden Museum in Beijing, a long group of dominoes constitute the world extinct animal cemetery, and each fallen domino represents an extinct animal.
The earth is unique because of its rich and colorful life. However, the overall trend of accelerated decline of biodiversity in China continues, with the proportion of vertebrates threatened reaching 21.4% and endemic higher plants threatened as high as 65.4%.
The extinction of animals and plants is closely related to the destruction of the ecological environment. Delineating the red line of ecological protection is to define the areas with special important ecological functions within the ecological space that must be strictly protected, and to ensure and maintain the bottom line and lifeline of national ecological security.
At present, there are many types of ecological protection areas at all levels in China, and the number of nature reserves, forest parks, scenic spots, geological parks, wetland parks, drinking water sources and other protected areas reaches more than 10,000, accounting for about 18% of the land area.
The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that despite such large-scale protection, in recent years, China’s ecological space has been continuously squeezed, the ecosystem has been seriously degraded, and the national and regional ecological security situation is grim. At the same time, there are some problems in protected areas, such as unclear spatial boundaries, overlapping and low management efficiency. It is urgent to draw a red line for ecological protection, implement strict supervision and management, and realize a red line to control all important ecological spaces.
"Urban space and agricultural space are the three major national spaces juxtaposed with ecological space." Lu Jun, deputy dean of the Environmental Planning Institute of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said that China has a red line of cultivated land and urban development boundaries, and the red line of ecological protection is delineated within the ecological space.
The person in charge of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that the ecological protection red line is a unique concept in China and an innovative measure proposed according to the needs of China’s ecological protection practice. "The delineation of the red line of ecological protection can make the boundaries of land space development, utilization and protection clearer, and clarify where to protect and where to develop, which plays an important role in implementing a series of system of ecological civilization constructions." He said.
On February 6th, Xiufeng and cottages in Wan Fenglin Scenic Spot in Xingyi City, Guizhou Province, were picturesque with the blooming rape flowers in the field. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Liu Chaofu)
The red line of ecological protection, from the perspective of functional orientation, is of great significance for maintaining ecological balance and supporting sustainable economic and social development; From the nature of land use, it is an ecological land with important ecological functions and must be strictly controlled; From the perspective of protection requirements, it is the critical value and the most basic requirement for ensuring and maintaining ecological security, and it is also the minimum area for protecting biodiversity and maintaining the survival of key species and ecosystems. Strict protection must be implemented to ensure that the function, area and nature will not be reduced.
In the early spring, I walked into Qingyuan District, Ji ‘an City, Jiangxi Province, and my eyes were full of thriving scenes.
"The total area of the ecological protection red line we have delineated is 211.9 square kilometers, accounting for 23.2% of the region’s land area." Wang Zhaorong, deputy director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Qingyuan District, told the reporter that after the red line of ecological protection was demarcated, this area was strictly controlled and all development and construction activities unrelated to ecological protection were prohibited.
In Ejina Banner, Inner Mongolia, tourists watch the sunrise on the banks of the Black River (photo taken on October 12, 2016). Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhenshe
An ecological protection red line should be able to control all important ecological spaces. How should I draw this line? Which areas should enter the red line?
Carrying out scientific assessment is the basic work of delineating the red line of ecological protection. The opinions put forward that all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities should form a red line of ecological protection, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments should conduct technical audits and put forward opinions, which will be promulgated and implemented by all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities after being approved by the State Council. On this basis, the national ecological protection red line can be formed by connecting and summarizing, and it will be announced to the public.
In view of the particularity of marine land space, the opinion particularly emphasizes that the State Oceanic Administration shall organize the delineation and review of the ecological protection red line of marine land space according to the opinions.
The person in charge of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that from a spatial perspective, the red line of ecological protection should at least include: areas that are clearly prohibited from development in the planning of the main functional areas, such as nature reserves, scenic spots, forest parks, geological parks, world cultural and natural heritage, and national parks, wetland parks, drinking water sources, etc., which are clearly protected and managed by laws and regulations; In addition, important areas that are considered necessary to be strictly protected and related to the ecological security pattern should also be included in the red line of ecological protection, such as ecological corridors and habitats of minimal populations.
According to the Army, since 2012, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has begun to explore the relevant theories and methods of red line delineation of ecological protection, and has also carried out relevant pilot projects. So far, 31 provinces in China have carried out this work. Ten provinces including Jiangsu, Tianjin and Jiangxi have announced local red lines for ecological protection. Jilin Province also plans to include the Northeast Tiger and Leopard Ecological Corridor and the migratory habitat areas of migratory birds such as white cranes and red-crowned cranes in the ecological protection red line area.
On November 6, 2016, in the Great Swan Reserve in Yandunjiao Village, Rongcheng City, the Great Swan came here to live for the winter. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Suhui photo
Only with a clear boundary can the red line of ecological protection clearly land and be easy to manage. The person in charge of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that the red line boundary should be placed on specific plots. After the red line of ecological protection has landed, it is necessary to find out all kinds of basic information, form a "database" and a "map" of the red line of ecological protection data, and set up unified and standardized identification signs on the basis of demarcation, so that the public can truly feel the existence of the red line of ecological protection.
The reporter noted that in some places, permanent basic farmland has been included in the red line control of ecological protection. In this regard, the army said that this is not appropriate. After the opinions are released, all localities may have to make follow-up adjustments and improvements.
Delineating the red line is the foundation, and strictly observing the red line of ecological protection is the key.
The opinion puts forward that strict control should be implemented, and the red line of ecological protection should be managed according to the requirements of prohibited development areas in principle, and all kinds of development activities that do not meet the main function orientation are strictly prohibited.
Controlling development may mean the loss of projects in some places, which requires local governments to "make up their minds".
Zixi County, Jiangxi Province, located at the junction of Jiangxi and Fujian, insists on "establishing an ecological county". In order to protect the ecological environment, in the past three years, this county with a fiscal revenue of only 600 million yuan declined nearly 100 industrial projects with a cumulative investment of more than 30 billion yuan. At the same time, due to the elimination and closure of industries that are not conducive to ecological protection, the county’s annual financial losses reach hundreds of millions of yuan.
"Rejecting these projects, the county leaders have no objection, and the people are even more supportive. It has long been the consensus of Zixi people not to pursue GDP growth at the expense of ecology. " Long Weimin, director of Zixi County Environmental Protection Bureau, said.
The reporter saw that in order to strictly observe the red line of ecological protection, the opinions put forward 10 policy measures, strengthened the rigid constraint of the red line of ecological protection, and formed a set of control and incentive measures.
The red line of ecological protection depends on the power of big data. According to reports, at present, China’s ecological environment monitoring system has not yet been formed, the scope and elements are not fully covered, the monitoring ability is weak, the amount of ecological monitoring data is small, and the island is serious, which cannot meet the needs of ecological protection and supervision.
The opinion proposes to build and improve the comprehensive monitoring network system of ecological protection red line and obtain monitoring data in time; Establish a national supervision platform, improve the scientific level of management decision-making, and timely check and deal with illegal acts. This will help to realize the transformation of ecological supervision from passive response to active discovery and timely treatment.
However, the main factor of strictly observing the red line lies in people, and the key lies in leading cadres.
The opinion proposes to innovate the incentive and restraint mechanism, reward the units and individuals that have achieved outstanding results in the protection of ecological protection red line, and propose to set up ecological protection red line management posts as needed to improve residents’ enthusiasm for participating in ecological protection.
"Whether the red line of ecological protection can be maintained, authoritative and effective, there should be a measure to measure the protection effect ‘ Ruler ’ And the mechanism for judging the effectiveness of local government work, the assessment and assessment of ecological protection red line is particularly important. " The person in charge of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said.
In order to seize the "key minority" of leading cadres, the opinion emphasizes strict accountability, especially for those who cause serious damage to the ecological environment and resources, lifelong accountability should be implemented, and the responsible person must be strictly accountable regardless of whether he has been transferred, promoted or retired.
Experts said that the red line of ecological protection should be drawn not only in our ecological space, but also in everyone’s mind, so as to effectively promote our ecological environment to be more beautiful and keep China’s ecological security bottom line and lifeline.
On the 7th, the General Offices of the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council announced "Several Opinions on Delineating and Strictly Sticking to the Red Line of Ecological Protection", which clearly stated that before the end of 2020, the national red line of ecological protection should be completely delineated, surveyed and defined, and the red line system of ecological protection should be basically established.
The red line of ecological protection refers to the area that has special important ecological functions and must be strictly protected in the ecological space, and it is the bottom line and lifeline to protect and safeguard the national ecological security. The opinion requires that, with improving the quality of ecological environment as the core and ensuring and maintaining ecological functions as the main line, the red line of ecological protection should be delineated and strictly observed in accordance with the requirements for the protection of landscape forest, farmland and lake systems, so as to achieve a red line to control important ecological spaces and ensure that ecological functions are not reduced, the area is not reduced and the nature is not changed.
Before the end of 2017, the provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government) along the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Economic Belt will delimit the red line of ecological protection; Before the end of 2018, other provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) will delimit the red line of ecological protection; By the end of 2020, the national red line for ecological protection will be delineated and demarcated in an all-round way, and the red line system for ecological protection will be basically established. The ecological space of the country will be optimized and effectively protected, the ecological function will remain stable, and the national ecological security pattern will be more perfect.
The opinion puts forward that the red line of ecological protection should be scientifically delineated. The red line of ecological protection will be implemented in the plot, and the types and main ecological functions of the ecosystem will be clarified. The nature of land use and land ownership will be clarified through the unified registration of natural resources, forming a national "one map" of the red line of ecological protection.
The opinion emphasizes the implementation of the main responsibilities of local party committees and governments at all levels, strengthening the rigid constraints of the red line of ecological protection, and forming a set of red line management and incentive measures for ecological protection. It is necessary to clarify the responsibility of territorial management, establish the priority of ecological protection red line, and implement strict control. It is necessary to establish a monitoring network and supervision platform, carry out regular evaluation and assessment, strengthen law enforcement supervision, and strictly investigate responsibility.
Those who violate the red line control requirements of ecological protection and cause ecological damage shall be investigated for responsibility according to relevant regulations. The opinion emphasizes that those who cause serious damage to the ecological environment and resources should be held accountable for life, and the responsible person must be held accountable strictly regardless of whether he has been transferred, promoted or retired.
(Reporter: Gao Jing, Guo Qiang Producer: Qian Tong Design & Drawing: Geng Yu)