Fujian province has made extraordinary progress in its environmental and ecological construction program, aimed at realizing sound and sustainable development, said Yu Weiguo, governor of Fujian province.

"Fujian has taken a range of targeted measures - including innovation of its ecological institutions, green production and industrial upgrading and improving the green livelihoods of its people - to further advance ecological conservation," Yu said.

"We are now exploring ways in which we can replicate the experience to contribute to the nation's ecological development."

In 2016, Fujian was officially designated as the national ecological conservation pilot zone, which gave the province more opportunities to carry out its ecological preservation.

Adhering to the view that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, Fujian accelerated its ecologic recovery projects in specific areas.

Changting county, located in western Fujian, has demonstrated the progress of the province's ecological development.

According to statistics, back in 1985 more than 30 percent of the county's land, covering some 97,466 hectares, was suffering from soil erosion. On some hills, plants were rarely seen.

After decades of afforestation efforts, Changting gradually turned its eroded areas - the most severe areas of water and soil loss in the red soil region of southern China - into an oasis and a wetland park, a county official said.

"With the efforts of the Central and local governments, a large area of barren land in Changting has now been transformed into a lush agricultural region," said Lin Yufeng, head of the soil and water conservation bureau in Changting.

Since 2000, the Changting water and soil erosion control initiative has been included in the provincial Party committee and government's program to meet people's practical needs and has received 10 million yuan ($1.52 million) in funding each year.

In 2009, 71,333 hectares of Changting's land was reclaimed. In 2010, the local government decided to continue the campaign.

The county government has taken measures to facilitate afforestation of hillsides, improve vegetation, develop green agriculture, and transfer local rural labor.

To relieve pressure on the water supply and environment caused by its large population, the government encouraged residents to live in designated residential communities, where it could provide them with better accommodation.

Flowers, fruit and lush vegetation were planted in different locations and now many aquatic plants and animals under state protection have made these rivers their home again.

"We has been carrying out the work with government guidance and with social participation," Lin said.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan Period (2011-15), the county controlled an area of 40,533 hectares of a soil erosion, and its overall soil erosion rate dropped to 8.52 percent from the end of 2010.

A total of 20 soil erosion control projects have been implemented, for a total investment of 323 million yuan.

Changting has become a model county in southern China's water and soil erosion control efforts, and has promoted its experience to further progress of the national ecological program.

You Quan, secretary of the Party committee of Fujian, said over the years the province had fully implemented the central authorities' guidance on green development.

It had also fully implemented the guidance on industrial upgrading, green welfare, pollution control and ecological environmental safeguards - and had striven to keep ahead of the country's ecological program, he added.

(China Daily 10/18/2017 page24)