(CN) Fragile ecology

[Guest guest]

China Daily

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2001-12-20/48771.html

Green project lacks variety

by ZHANG YONG

12/20/2001

 

XICHANG, Sichuan Province - The country's success in replanting forests

around the city of Xichang in Southwest China is, sadly, still overshadowed

by its fragile ecology, according to a recent field research.

Walking through the forest, songs from chirpy birds can no longer be heard

and it appears that the only type of creature you will find is the squirrel.

 

The reason is " the uniformity of a species of pine trees, " noted Xie Yan, an

expert with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

 

Xie noted that a healthy forest ecology system should consist of " a good

variety of species " like lichen, grass, brush and different kinds of trees

and animals.

 

However, more than 90 per cent of the trees planted around Xichang are

Yunnan Pine, a kind of local pine tree, according to Luo Ping, an official

with the local bureau for environmental protection.

 

Because of the lack of other species, this forest of pine trees can only

provide food for animals such as squirrels, Luo admitted.

 

A natural food chain, therefore, cannot be formed under such surroundings.

 

Xichang, known for its Xichang Satellite Launching Centre, boasts more than

200,000 hectares of replanted forest in the mountainous areas around the

city, according to local official statistics.

 

Since 1957, local governments have been planting pine trees through annual

aerial seeding in the massive mountainous areas around the city, in

compliance with the central government's ambitious afforestation projects in

the ecologically fragile hinterland areas, said the local forest bureau.

 

The city's continuous afforestation efforts aim to better conserve soil and

water, as well as to improve the ecology.

 

But local officials mistakenly thought that the replanted trees would be

enough to prevent soil erosion.

 

While being able to boast about flourishing pine tree forests that are

successful due to plenty of rainfall and fertile soil, Jinsha River Valley

near the city still suffers from serious soil erosion because of a lack of

good ground cover, according to the research.

 

Lichen, grass and brush, is essential to protect the soil, according to a

recent publication of environmental protection and biological diversity

issued by experts from the China Council for International Co-operation on

Environment and Development (CCICED).

 

Fostering ground cover first and then planting a good mixture of

broad-leaved trees and conifers according to local altitude, sunshine and

rainfall is the correct afforestation process, said Xie Yan, who is also a

main contributor to the publication, adding that such a process helps foster

a healthy ecology system similar to a primitive forest.

 

The creation of a healthy forest ecology may attract a multitude of animals

and birds whose activities may help disperse seeds and thus contribute to

the forest's natural expansion.

 

Though the cost of such a process of afforestation is high, in the long run

the ecological and economical interest brought about by healthy forests will

be immense, said Li Zaide, a local engineer with the environmental

protection bureau.

 

Regretfully, Li also noted that while the natural recovery of ground cover

may be best, it takes a longer time compared with manually replanting for

ecological construction in those areas with plenty sunshine and rainfall.

But he admitted that local governmental officials did not realize this until

the late 1990s.

 

Another problem of the pine tree forest is excessive seeding.

 

The thick pine trees shield the ground, leaving little sunshine for grass

and brush to grow, the research states.

 

Meanwhile, the leaves from pine trees contain a certain grease and do not

rot easily, leaving a thick cover on the ground, also hindering the growth

of other plants.

 

The pine tree forest has also suffered its share of fire disasters and

pests.

 

Last year, the city spent 2.6 million yuan (US$314,000) alone on trying to

prevent forest fires, according to sources from the local government.

 

One way to solve the ecological problems of the city's replanted forest is

to cut down some of the pine trees and to add other species like grass,

brush and broad-leaf trees, said Xie, who also noted that supervision would

be required to conduct such a process.

 

However, such efforts will take a great deal of financing and labour

resources, which may be an impossible mission for the poverty-stricken local

residents and governments.

 

According to local officials, each hectare of aerial seeding now costs 750

yuan (US$90), only one fourth of the expenditure for manually planting a

forest.

 

China will inject some 300 billion yuan (US$36.23 billion) into financing

ecological constructions in the following decade, according to the Ministry

of Finance.

 

The ongoing " Green Great Wall " project across the three northern areas of

the country is the world's largest ecological project, however, it also

faces similar ecological problems due to the uniformity of the trees that

are planted, Xie cautioned.

 

During the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-05), the country's coverage rate

of forest is expected to increase to 18 per cent from the current 16.55 per

cent, with green areas increasing to 35 per cent of the urban areas.

 

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For more on Xichang, see:

http://www.aapn.org/xichang.html

[Guest guest]

There is a Buddhist priest who grew a forest in a 7 acre land which was

destroyed by illegal logging.He won an award for that.

 

He has grown endemic plants and trees in this land which belong to the

temple.Governent has given some more land also to expand the forest.I went

with my friends to release some caged parrots to this reserve.It is a

beautiful place.There is a female mongoose which was broughtup by

Poruwadande Sumane thero .Later she went to the forest and lived with a male

mongoose .When she was about to litter she came to the monestry and had her

babies there and later went back to the forest with her children.

His adress is Ven Poruwadande Sumana Thero

Gallen Vihara Environmental Foundation

Warakagoda

Neboda

Kalutara

Sri Lanka

If somebody can send his adress to chinese officers that would help chinese

forests,Pine is not a suitable forest cover .Even Sri Lanka some lazy

scientists have done that mistake

Kala