Continuously Advancing China’s Development of an Ecological …
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from nature be provided, and the people’s growing need for a beautiful environment
be continuously met.
3. Protecting lucid waters and lush mountains and obtaining material assets
are the basic way to achieve green development
In response to the widespread problem of the dichotomy between ecological conservation and economic development, General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly stressed
on different occasions that “we want both lucid waters and lush mountains as well as
mountains of gold and silver.” We prefer the former to the latter, and “lucid waters and
lush mountains are as valuable as gold and silver.” The former represents the natural
environment and ecological benefits, while the latter the socio-economic value and
economic benefits. We need to be committed to socio-economic development as well
as environmental protection, pursuing the harmony between man and nature and the
balance between socio-economic development and ecological conservation. When
there is an imbalance between them, we prefer the environmental protection. Nevertheless, talents and ideas hold the key to balancing lucid waters and lush mountains
with assets. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “we need to foster our
respect for the value of nature and natural capital. Natural ecosystems have value.
The protection of nature is a process of increasing the value of nature and the value
of natural capital.” Therefore, while strictly protecting the environment, we should
make good use of lucid waters and lush mountains, and let them continue to yield
mountains of gold and silver by vigorously developing ecological industries.
4. Making the overall planning for protection and management of mountains,
rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands is the basic way to achieve
coordinated development
Mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands are integral natural ecosystems that are interconnected and inseparable. Lush trees and well-structured forests
can effectively trap precipitation, conserve water sources, consolidate soil fertility,
prevent flooding and soil erosion, slowly transport constant water into rivers and
lakes, irrigate crops and replenish soil nutrients, and create and maintain a comfortable and beautiful environment for human habitation. In the large ecosystem of
mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands, people, as a part of
it, are the ultimate beneficiaries and the most active and influential factors. The
huge ecosystem maintains a dynamic balance through material and energy flows.
Once one factor changes, the original balance will be broken, and a new balance
will be reached through dynamic and successional changes. Historically, numerous
examples of serious system imbalance and major natural disasters ultimately caused
damage on humans themselves due to the greedy and unreasonable exploitation of
nature. The Italians in the Alps, for example, cut down and exhausted seemingly
unrelated fir forests, destroying local alpine livestock farming and causing flooding.
In China’s early days, disasters caused by excessive logging of forests, deforestation for reclamation, reclamation of farmland from lakes, indiscriminate reclamation
and grazing, and dredging of rivers abounded, leading to huge and painful losses
and trauma to economic and social development and to the people’s production and
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from nature be provided, and the people’s growing need for a beautiful environment
be continuously met.
3. Protecting lucid waters and lush mountains and obtaining material assets
are the basic way to achieve green development
In response to the widespread problem of the dichotomy between ecological conservation and economic development, General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly stressed
on different occasions that “we want both lucid waters and lush mountains as well as
mountains of gold and silver.” We prefer the former to the latter, and “lucid waters and
lush mountains are as valuable as gold and silver.” The former represents the natural
environment and ecological benefits, while the latter the socio-economic value and
economic benefits. We need to be committed to socio-economic development as well
as environmental protection, pursuing the harmony between man and nature and the
balance between socio-economic development and ecological conservation. When
there is an imbalance between them, we prefer the environmental protection. Nevertheless, talents and ideas hold the key to balancing lucid waters and lush mountains
with assets. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “we need to foster our
respect for the value of nature and natural capital. Natural ecosystems have value.
The protection of nature is a process of increasing the value of nature and the value
of natural capital.” Therefore, while strictly protecting the environment, we should
make good use of lucid waters and lush mountains, and let them continue to yield
mountains of gold and silver by vigorously developing ecological industries.
4. Making the overall planning for protection and management of mountains,
rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands is the basic way to achieve
coordinated development
Mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands are integral natural ecosystems that are interconnected and inseparable. Lush trees and well-structured forests
can effectively trap precipitation, conserve water sources, consolidate soil fertility,
prevent flooding and soil erosion, slowly transport constant water into rivers and
lakes, irrigate crops and replenish soil nutrients, and create and maintain a comfortable and beautiful environment for human habitation. In the large ecosystem of
mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands, people, as a part of
it, are the ultimate beneficiaries and the most active and influential factors. The
huge ecosystem maintains a dynamic balance through material and energy flows.
Once one factor changes, the original balance will be broken, and a new balance
will be reached through dynamic and successional changes. Historically, numerous
examples of serious system imbalance and major natural disasters ultimately caused
damage on humans themselves due to the greedy and unreasonable exploitation of
nature. The Italians in the Alps, for example, cut down and exhausted seemingly
unrelated fir forests, destroying local alpine livestock farming and causing flooding.
In China’s early days, disasters caused by excessive logging of forests, deforestation for reclamation, reclamation of farmland from lakes, indiscriminate reclamation
and grazing, and dredging of rivers abounded, leading to huge and painful losses
and trauma to economic and social development and to the people’s production and