Shaoguan’s Ecological Restoration Project was Selected as One of the Top Ten Model Projects in the Province
Recently, the Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province announced the selection results
of the ten Model Projects of The Second Territorial Space Ecological Restoration in Guangdong Province.
Three projects in Shaoguan were selected, with one institute and three individuals being selected too.
The selection was organized by the Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province and the Land Restoration Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources. The selection has gone through the process of nomination, preliminary screening, field investigation, online voting and centralized evaluation, with ten Model Projects, ten Nomination Projects, 3 Individual Awards, 19 Model Ecological Restoration Organizations and 38 individuals being selected .
List of the Selected Organizations and Individuals
Model Ecological Restoration Project-Meiguan Ancient Road of Nanxiong County, Shaoguan City
Model Ecological Restoration Project-Rare Earths Mine of Nanxiong County, Shaoguan City
Individual Award-The Treatment of Rocky Desertification Areas in Shaoguan
Model Ecological Restoration Organization-Ecological Restoration Section of the Forestry Administration of Shaoguan
Model Individuals-Yunhui Chen from Shaoguan Natural Resources Bureau; Wensheng Yang from Dabaoshan Mining Company Limited of Guangdong Province; Qiang Chen from Section No.3 of Guangdong Ecological Bureau
Overview of the Model Ecological Restoration Projects
Ecological Restoration Project of Meiguan Ancient Road of Nanxiong County, Shaoguan City
The total length of the Meiguan ancient road that under ecological restoration is about 47.68 kilometers. In view of the ancient road’s natural, historical and cultural value, the restoration project focused on the overall protection and restoration of the ancient road, so as to continuously improve the "natural" nature of the road.
With the ancient road as the backbone, the restoration project took key factors into full consideration, they are ecological environment, farmlands, villages and historical sites along the road. Since the ancient road links many villages, the restoration adhered to the principle of integrating the ecological protection and the adaptive reuse of the ancient road, so as to encourage villagers to participate more in the protection of the ancient road and enjoy the positive change that it brings to their daily life.
Ecological protection of the ancient road is the key of the project. The systematic restoration of ecological elements such as mountains, water, forests and fields, and the protection of the villages, bridges and ancestral halls are crucial for the creation of a sustainable ecological environment and vitalizing the ancient road.
The adaptive reuse of the cultural relics along the ancient road is another vital aspect of the restoration project. The Guangfu Culture—Cantonese folk culture is the most prominent culture here, together with red culture and Hakka culture have been given new vitality and connotation, which has enhance the brand recognition of the ancient road’s identity of "Hometown of Cantonese People".
Since the beginning of the ancient road ecological restoration project, 26km of landscape forest and 0.07k㎡of carbon sink forest along the road were planted; afforestation and tending operations were carried out to cover about 0.5 k㎡of forest; strategic dredging was used to treat 3.617km of rivers and re-build 0.956km of river banks; the ecological systems of 14.46 hectares of mining areas had been restored, 3 hidden geological hazards were found and treated; 2.3 k㎡ of high-quality farmland was built; the treatment rate of household garbage and wastewater in the countryside along the ancient road increased to 90% and above.
Meiling Ancient Road before ecological restoration
Meiling Ancient Road after ecological restoration
Capture Date: August 2018, February 2021
Location: Meiling Scenic Area of Zhuji Town, Nanxiong County Shaoguan City
River banks of Jiaowan Village before ecological restoration
River banks of Jiaowan Village after ecological restoration
Capture Date: August 2018, June 2021
Location: Jiaowan Village of Zhuji Town, Nanxiong County Shaoguan City
Nanxiong County Rare Earth Mining Area Geological Restoration Project of Shaoguan City
Since the beginning of the restoration project, the ecological environment of Shaoguan has been getting better. Remarkable achievements have been made regarding the mining area ecological restoration project. With the principle of making full use of the successful experience from pilot programs and promoting the protection of ecological environment in a all-round way, Shaoguan city has gained effective experience regarding the protection and restoration of ecological environment, which can be applied in other cities and areas.
Positive Changes in abandoned mining areas after ecological restoration in Pingtian Village, Pingtian Town Nanxiong County
Coordinated Management Measures Covering Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Farmlands, Lakes and Grasslands Were Carried Out to Treat the Rocky Desertification Area in Shaoguan
Measures such as sealing off mountain areas to facilitate afforestation, trees replanting, artificial afforestation and commercial forest planting have been taken to treat the desertification areas in Lechang County and Ruyuan County.
After two years of restoration, the areas have seen improvements in forest vegetation structure and forest quality. The forest resources have been effectively protected, in these areas, with a better recovery of ecological system. The project finished the restoration of 150 square kilometers of rocky desertification areas, which is a major breakthrough in the treatment of rocky desertification.
Rocky desertification area before restoration
Camellias were planted in the rocky desertification area
