Chapter 3
Actions and Achievements in the Major Fields of Sustainable Development
Section 8 Forest Resources
I. BackgroundII. Actions and Achievements3.48 China has very limited forest resources. The present forests cover an area of 130 million hectares, which is only 3°"´4% of the total forest area of the world. The national forest cover is less than 14%. The available per capita forest area is only 0.11 hectares and the total stored bush is 860 million cubic metres, which is 11.7% and 12.6% of the world average respectively. The present major environmental problems in China, such as soil erosion and land desertification (as well as the increasing frequency of natural disasters such as drought, floods, and high winds), are all closely linked with the shortage of forest, their unbalanced distribution, and their low functional utility.
Figure 3-3 China's Forest Coverage and Variation in the Standing Stock Volume
3.49 Formulation of strategies for sustainable forest resource development
China attaches great importance to the development of forest resources and has drawn up the "Forestry Action Plan for China's Agenda 21", the "Programme Outline of China's Ecological Environment Construction", the "Key Points of the Programme for Comprehensive Development of Forests in Mountain Areas", etc. The government has put forward a number of general strategic objectives and countermeasures: strengthening breeding, protecting and managing of forest resources, enlarging forest areas, and improving the forest quality. The past five years have seen the planting of large-scale shelter forests, implementation of ecological system projects, and voluntary afforestation activities through the "plant trees everywhere and make the country green" programmes.
By the year 2000, the net increase in the forested land will be 9.98 million hectares, the national forest cover should be 15°"´16%, the amount of living wood storage will 12.66 billion cubic metres, and 3.43 million hectares of desertified land shall be under control. There will be 43.99 million hectares of shelter forests networks protecting farmland. The natural reserves for forests, wild plants, and animals should cover 60.59 million hectares. By the year 2010, the net increase in the forest
land will be 28.98 million hectares, the national forest cover should reach
17%, the amount of living wood storage will be 13.96 billion cubic metres,
and 11.43 million hectares of desertified land shall be under control.
The farmland with shelter forest network protection will amount to 59.06
million hectares (accounting for 94% of the total area suitable for this
method). The vegetation coverage should be 35% in urban areas. The total
size of the natural reserves for forests, wild plants, and animals will
reach 70.68 million hectares. |
3.50 Scientific development of forest resources
Guided by the strategy of promoting afforesation through the application of science and technology, the Chinese Government has promulgated a series of afforestation technology regulations and set up scientific and technological systems, information networks for scientific research, and extension of technological supervision, thus emphasising the extension of advanced scientific and technological achievements and practical technology so as to improve the quality of forest planting and breeding. Since 1990, man-made afforestation has covered 24.7 million hectares, plane sowing afforestation has seeded 12.74 million hectares, the afforested area in the enclosed hills and mountains has reached 26.26 million hectares, and the national forest cover has been increased from 12.98% to 13.92%. An increase of forest area and storage has been achieved and the trend of long-term consistent decrease in forest storage has been basically reversed. Now there are few uncovered afforestable mountains or lands in twelve provinces.
3.51 Acceleration of the construction of forest ecological systems
In order to preserve the environment of fragile ecological areas, China has successfully carried out five ecological forest projects:
The "Three Northern Regions" (northeastern, northwestern, and northern China) shelter forest system project
This project started in 1978 and involves 551 counties from 13 provinces. The total area is 4.06 million square km (42.4% of the land territory of China). By 2050, the planned afforestation area will be 30.58 million hectares, of which 18.51 million hectares of afforestation has been completed, thus transforming 1.3 million hectares of sandy land into farmland and pasture, bringing 12% of the desertified land under control, and protecting 11 million hectares of farmland with shelter forests.
Picture 3-14 Shelter Forest in the Suburbs of Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Picture 3-15 The Plain Shelter Forest Network - Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
The middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River shelter forest project
This project relates to 271 counties from 11 provinces. It was planned that, from 1989 to 2000, there would be an increase of 6.67 million hectares of forests (thus raising the forest cover from 19.9% to about 40%). After 7 years of implementation, 6 million hectares have been afforested.
Coastal shelter forest system
This project involves 195 counties from 11 provinces. The planned afforestation area was 3.56 million hectares. By 1996, 2.06 million hectares had been afforested, 11,000 kilometres of primary shelter forest belt had been built (being 90% of the coastal potential afforestation area), and 18,000 km of coastal forest belt had generally been completed. The regional forest cover has been raised from 21.7% in 1987 to the present 29.1%.
Picture 3-16 The Coastal Shelter Forest along Beihai City in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
The Taihang Mountains Afforestation Project
This project involves 110 counties from Beijing, Hebei, Henan, and Shanxi Provinces. It was planned that 3.56 million hectares of forests would be planted by 2050. Since 1993, 1.31 million hectares have been afforested.
Farmland shelter forest projects
The combination of "shelter belt, forest network, and forested area" with plain farmland shelter projects takes farmland shelter forests as the focus and shelter belts, inter-cropping crops and trees, and planting trees around the farmland (or in tracks) as the main components. At present, the farmland surrounded by forest networks is 34.2 million hectares and 84% of plain counties have met the national afforestation standard.
3.52 Other ecological forestry projects
In addition to the five major projects mentioned above, in 1995, some new projects were started in the Huaihe River Basin, Taihu Basin, Zhujiang River Basin, Liaohe River Basin, and the middle reaches of the Yellow River. These shelter forest projects involve 609 counties from 16 provinces and the planned afforestation area is 6.6 million hectares.
3.53 Great progress in integrated forestry development of mountain areas
While protecting and making use of forest resources, the government has made vigorous efforts to develop forest resources in mountain areas and develop forestry and fruit-growing as the backbone industries of the regional economy in order to encourage social and economic development in poverty-stricken areas. For example, in Liuzhou, Guilin, and Hechi Prefectures of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the 18 poor counties from five prefectures of Guizhou Province (which is known as the "Ninety Thousand Mountain" area) through forest resources development, industrial structure adjustment, and developing the backbone industries of forestry and fruits, the forest cover of the area has been raised to 37.61% and the per capita income has been increased by RMB 367 yuan.
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