A satisfactory expert investigation has brought Jingbo Lake a
step closer to the status of a world geopark.
From August 1-3, Dr Hartmut Escher and Dr Andreas Schueller,
members of the assessment committee for world geoparks, were sent
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) to visit Jingbo Lake in Mudanjiang, Northeast
China's Heilongjiang Province.
During the field study, the experts, both from Germany and with
longstanding experience in the European and Global geopark
networks, were accompanied by Jiang Jianjun, director of the
Geological Environment Department of the Ministry of Land and
Resources, and heads of related national and provincial
sectors.
At the welcome ceremony, Liu Xueliang, vice-governor of
Heilongjiang Province, said the provincial government had placed a
special emphasis on the application efforts.
He said Jingbo Lake is a famous destination for volcano-featured
tourism, contributing remarkably to the local economy and social
development.
Lu Bing, mayor of Mudanjiang, promised that the city would
invest more to build Jingbo Lake into a standard world geopark
combining scientific research, scientific popularization, tourism
and leisure functions. "We will make the lake known not only to
Chinese people, but to foreign visitors as well."
The two UNESCO experts said they were deeply impressed by the
characteristic geology and landforms of Jingbo Lake, such as the
lava waterfall, lava stalactite and the ancient ice caves, which
are unique in the world.
"I'm very glad to have had a chance to visit this magical place
for several days, and I wish you good luck and a sustainable,
brighter future for Jingbo Lake," said Dr Hartmut Escher.
Dr Escher said since the lake has the ability to attract an
increasing number of visitors every year, more and more people will
learn about the rich and typical geological heritage, resulting in
a good effect of scientific popularization.
Dr Escher also gave good advice on the development of the
geopark.
"It is not enough for the lava tunnels to be accessible only to
geologists. I hope they will be open to common visitors as well in
the near future, of course, given the promise of sufficient
protection. If the park decides to open the lava tunnels to more
visitors, it should consider more effective and innovative
protective measures."
UNESCO has switched its focus from the development of scenic
spots to the sustainable growth of natural heritage, stressed Dr
Escher.
He added that the purpose of world geopark evaluation is to
provide an opportunity to better facilitate the exploration and
protection of geological resources rather than the mere
exploitation of geological heritages.
Both experts praised the well-prepared, exquisite application
materials, adding that the government's promise had fully showed
the importance it had attached to the bid for the world geopark
title.
"The presentation in English is fascinating and extraordinary,"
they said.
The two German experts will submit an investigation report to
UNESCO world geopark assessment committee after the trip.
The committee is scheduled to hold a meeting in Northern Ireland
on September 17 when the third batch of world geoparks will be
voted out.
Application efforts
Ninety-seven kilometers to downtown Mudanjiang, Jingbo Lake
geopark has a planned area of 1,400 square kilometers.
Featuring volcanic geological heritages and China's biggest lava
barrier lake, it was awarded with the title of national geopark by
the Ministry of Land and Resources in 2005.
Ever since the lake became a world geopark candidate at the end
of 2005, Mudanjiang's authorities have tried every possible means
to push it closer to its goal.
According to Yang Ming, vice-mayor of Mudanjiang, more than 16
million yuan (US$2 million) has been invested to formulate tourist
routes for scientific popularization, give professional trainings
to tour guides, complete the overall planning of the geopark, set
up a geological museum, establish standardized sign posts within
the park, and produce manuals, albums and video disks for tourism
promotion.
Over the past few years, some 10,000 square meters of unsightly
and illegal buildings have been removed, while a series of
infrastructure facilities such as the North Lake ring road and two
large-scale parking lots were established.
The local government injected 11 million yuan (US$1.38 million)
last year to build two humanistic landscapes - a cultural park to
commemorate a legendary girl named Hong Luo in a red thin silk
dress, and a stele park named Qijing or Enchanted Trail.
The park has also made energetic efforts to optimize its
environment. It reforested 19,000 mu (1,266.7 hectares) of
cultivated land and built six sewage treatment centres within its
core scenic areas.
And a green area of over 20,000 square meters was added,
creating a pleasant and safe tourism environment for visitors.
(China Daily August 18, 2006)
