At present, the phenomenon of damaging nature and destroying biodiversity occurs frequently. According to the announcement of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in April 2021, the Central Seventh Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Team conducted inspections in Guangxi and found that Beibu Gulf International Port Group Co., Ltd. had a weak awareness of ecological environmental protection, and the construction of Beihai Tieshan Port Donggang was illegally constructed, resulting in damage to mangroves. The area is 257.67 mu, and there are as many as 37,988 dead mangroves.
Not only mangroves, but also due to habitat fragmentation, climate change and other factors, the situation of biodiversity conservation in my country is not optimistic. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the endangered degree of vertebrates in my country is higher than the global average; the loss of biodiversity and the fragility of ecosystems will erode the foundation of economy, livelihood, food security, health and quality of life.
The destruction rate of mangroves is 3 to 5 times faster than the rate of forest disappearance
. Mangroves are known as "coast guards". There are 37 species of mangroves in China, accounting for about 60% of the world's mangrove plants. Yang Songying, a marine project expert at the Beijing Representative Office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said that mangroves, which mainly grow in estuaries and coastal intertidal zones, have different characteristics and abilities from land plants. They adapt to environmental factors such as high salinity seawater, hypoxia, and strong wind and waves, and play an important role and significance to both ecology and human beings.
"Mangroves, as primary producers along the coast, are the foundation of the food web. The decayed leaves become food for aquatic animals, giving birth to countless birds, shellfish, crustaceans, fish, etc., supporting the growth of various organisms in the ecosystem. Survival; for humans, mangroves provide important ecological barriers, protect banks from moisture, avoid soil erosion, absorb pollutants, and provide wood and food for local communities, and are blue economic resources that support fisheries and eco-tourism.” Yang Songying It is said that mangroves are also typical carbon sink resources, which fix and store carbon dioxide in vegetation and soil, and play an important role in mitigating climate change.
Data from the State Forestry and Grass Administration shows that in the 1950s, the mangrove area in my country was about 50,000 hectares, and in 2000 it was reduced to 22,000 hectares. With the improvement of conservation awareness and the government's intensified efforts in conservation and restoration, it increased to about 29,000 hectares in 2019.
"The rate of global mangrove destruction is 3 to 5 times faster than that of terrestrial forests." Yang Songying said that although mangroves are very rich in ecosystem services, they face threats from various human activities, typically coastal areas. Development activities such as coastal aquaculture, tourism-related construction, community and urban development, etc. "Severe reclamation and logging activities have resulted in the direct destruction of these important habitats." According to
the Living Planet Report 2020 released by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the destruction of the natural environment has caused the spread of zoonotic diseases, including the new crown epidemic, etc., since 1970
, global populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have declined on average by about two-thirds in less than half a century. So far there is no sign that this "catastrophic decline" is slowing down.
Zhang Fengchun, former chief expert of the Institute of Ecology, Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, said, why should we emphasize the protection of biodiversity? The crux of the matter is that, under the influence of human activities, the rate of extinction of species today far exceeds the rate of natural extinction. The latest findings show that in the past 50 years, about 1 million species have faced extinction, and more species are threatened with extinction by human activities than ever before.
Delineation of ecological protection red lines and strengthening of ecological restoration supervision
In order to protect biodiversity and improve the quality and stability of ecosystems, China has innovated protection methods and built a system of natural reserves dominated by national parks. Cui Shuhong, director of the Natural Ecological Protection Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said that my country has also creatively proposed and established an ecological protection red line system. Ecosystems are effectively protected within the red line.
Cui Shuhong said that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will also strengthen the supervision of ecological protection and restoration, and promote the construction of the "53111" ecological supervision system. Continue to carry out monitoring and evaluation in five aspects including national ecological status, key areas, ecological protection red lines, nature reserves, and key ecological function areas and counties, and implement three systems including central ecological and environmental protection inspection, ecological supervision and law enforcement, and ecological supervision in key areas. Organize "Green Shield" nature reserves to strengthen supervision, build a red line supervision platform for ecological protection, etc., and continuously improve the supply capacity of high-quality ecological products.
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