China marked its first National Ecology Day on Tuesday. The theme of this year's National Ecological Day is lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Jiangsu has made every effort to implement the Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and has become more conscious of taking the path of ecological priority and green development, continuously improving the quality of the ecological environment, and fully showcasing the "Beautiful Jiangsu" landscape.
The Wushan Yangtze River in Nantong, the last ecological barrier before the Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea, was densely covered with chemical factories and docks. Nowadays, the ecological corridors along the Yangtze River are fully connected and the occasional appearance of finless porpoises brings unique surprises to tourists and technicians in charge of ecological monitoring.
“We have been continuously monitoring the Yangtze River finless porpoises in the Nantong section of the Yangtze River since 2019. So far, we have seen over 400 finless porpoises, and this year we have seen over 250 finless porpoises in over 70 cases, indicating a steady increase in the number of finless porpoises”, Xin Yu, Engineer of Jiangsu Nantong Environmental Monitoring Center, said.
Promoting green and low-carbon economic and social development is a key link in achieving high-quality development. In recent years, Changzhou has taken collaborative measures to promote carbon reduction and pollution reduction by transforming idle resources into active wealth.
In recent years, Changzhou has actively explored practical paths in compliance with the times and led the comprehensive transformation of economic and social development with industrial development shifting towards green and environmentally-friendly development. The industrial output value of the new energy industry above designated size has increased by 24.8%, and the production of new energy vehicles accounts for about two-thirds of the provincial total. The industrial investment heat has consistently ranked first in the country.
Over the past decade, Changzhou has implemented more than 1500 key ecological conservation projects, expanded 126500 mu of greenery, and recorded 367 species of birds. National first-class protected wild animals such as the white necked long tailed pheasant and the Chinese merganser have been continuously monitored and discovered, setting a new record for wild bird observation in the province.
Through systematic ecological restoration and protection, this wetland has been able to recuperate and attract more and more wild animals.
Jiangsu has actively explored feasible paths for high-quality development and high-level ecological protection by taking the lead in defining ecological protection red lines and initiating biodiversity background surveys nationwide. It has established 31 nature reserves of all levels and types, built 45 ecological safety buffer zones, with a wetland area of over 3 million hectares, representing the highest wetland rate in China.
