A range of measures to tackle land erosion will be adopted in
China's worst affected areas, a high-level environment official
said yesterday at a briefing in Beijing.
Soil erosion and its knock-on effects such as land degradation,
landslides and mud-rock flows have to date affected 3.56 million
square kilometers, or 37.1 percent, of the country's land mass.
Water officials warned that the worsening situation will become
a serious threat to the security of China's ecosystems and the
sustainability of the economy if it is not brought under
control.
"To tackle the issue effectively, we have developed measures to
be implemented in 42 areas throughout the mainland that are under
threat of serious land erosion," E Jingping, vice minister of water
resources.
One of the measures developed include imposing fines on those
found responsible for damaging the environment through activities
such as mining and road building.
Under the national erosion-control program, the first of its
kind since 1949, all affected areas have been marked as key
protection zones.
The 42 erosion control zones cover more than 2.2 million square
kilometers, or 23 percent of the mainland's total land area, in 25
provinces and regions.
To protect ecosystems in the buffer zones made up largely of
China's major forested regions, big river headwaters, key
grasslands and oases, logging bans and overgrazing penalties will
be imposed.
In erosion-control zones in western areas with fragile
ecosystems, farming on sloped fields will be stopped.
In addition, the state will help farmers build terraced fields
to ensure their basic grain supply.
Liu Zhen, director of the Water and Soil Conservation Department
under the Ministry of Water Resources, said the program "will serve
as a key strategic step to ensure the further development of
China's economy and society in the years to come".
(China Daily May 9, 2006)