On December 3rd, Yichang, which is called “world's hydropower capital”, witnessed the convening of the sub forum of China Yangtze River Forum in 2016 -- International Symposium on Ecological Three Gorges & Piloting Yichang with one theme--- devoting to environment protection instead of resource exploitation.
Focusing on the subject of "building the Three Gorges barrier and establishing ecological Yangtze River”, a large number of related leading figures, famous experts and scholars at home and abroad gathered in Yichang for discussion.
After exchanging and sharing different concepts and experience, they reached a consensus that Yichang should preserve the fresh water in the reservoir, ensure the safety of Three Gorges project and protect the Yangtze River, so that Yichang can shoulder its responsibility and share weal and woes with its mother river-- Yangtze River.
In order to carry out the national strategy of building ecological cities, Yichang has taken the responsibility of building the pilot to set a good example for other cities. At the seminar, it has seriously pledged to promote unswervingly the green development, make itself a sample of ecological city, and produce the beautiful scenery line of ecological civilization in Yangtze River and Three Gorges areas!
A strong voice of our time has been uttered here and will influence other areas in China immediately.
“To write the paper on the land of Yichang”
As an ecological barrier and important development city, Yichang is a significant node in the construction of Yangtze River Economic Belt. The construction of ecological civilization has become a key point for a large of big cities to complete with each other.
In the Seminar, Yang Canming, the president of Zhongnan Economics and Law University gave a wonderful speech whose title is "to write the paper on the land of Yichang" .
Yang Canming said that ecological Three Gorges & “Piloting Yichang” successfully practiced the gist of General Secretary Xi’s speech, and highly complied with the five concepts for development (including innovation, coordination, green, open and share). It was not only a reform and innovation of “writing papers on the land of Yichang” by colleges and universities, but also a classic practice of innovation by collaborative effort from the government, industry, universities and research institute. Although there has been a long cooperation between the government and the academic world, this traditional mode failed to meet new demands owing to the long time and a wide range of fields involved in “Piloting Yichang”, so new service ways need to be explored.
Yang firmly believes that innovation elements will be fully integrated in the “Pilot Yichang” to achieve the ecological governance of Three Gorges region. “It is a gradual process of development from the focus on material civilization and spiritual civilization at the beginning of the reform to three-in-one, four-in-one, and then five-in-one put forward in The Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC. In this time, in order to achieve sustainable development, a full play must be given to human beings in the construction of ecological civilization." Jin Yong, a Professor of Qinghua University and an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering said.
Jin Chung expresses that in terms of industrial field, Yichang needs to build scientific eco industrial park, and strive to develop circular economy, low carbon economy and innovative economy.
In the opinion of Wang Yibing, the executive director of Youcheng Institute, it is the important feature of ecological civilization construction to achieve pluralism, common development and prosperity. He believes that the “Piloting Yichang” not only has cross-age significance, but also set a good example other cities in China even in the world. Youcheng foundation will seize this important opportunity of “Piloting Yichang” to assist Yichang in social innovation, guide social sectors for value investment, help Yichang with the ecological civilization construction.
Chang Jianbo, the director of Water Engineering Ecology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that Yichang has good historical conditions and realistic basis in the aspect of regionally ecological civilization construction. Thus, it should make full use of these advantages to build a model of regional ecological civilization construction, based on the big data.
As “two pilots” of natural resources in Hubei Province, Yidu City should actively carry out the comprehensive ecological governance trail. Luo Lianfeng, the secretary of Yidu municipal Party committee said, carrying out the ecological Three Gorges & Piloting Yichang is a great decision made by the municipal government to promote Yichang's green development. Yidu should open an ecological capital calculation accounts so as to establish the optimal data model between the natural resources and economic & social development, and to construct the early-warning and monitoring platform of natural resources information.
Open a new chapter on green rise
“Piloting Yichang” led by the “ecological Three Gorges” has opened a new chapter on building a beautiful China. Zhu Xinrong , the Manager of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law’s Collaborative Innovation Center of Industry Upgrading and Regional Finance(Hubei), expressed her views at the seminar.
She said that the close relevance between establishing green financial system and the ecological Three Gorges has decided the sustainability of “Piloting Yichang”, and green finance should catch on with ecological management. In future development, Yichang’s green finance can be realized in three ways: transformation and upgrading with industrial finance as the foundation of Yichang; demonstrating characteristics with scientific finance as the development of the city; extending functions with green finance as prosperity of Yichang.
In China, Yichang has the unique advantage to develop hub economy. Wang Ming, the head of Institute of Comprehensive Transportation of Academy of Macroeconomic Research, NDRC(National Development and Reform Commission), has been proposing this idea for 15 years. He thinks that Yichang should complete node logistics facility, based on which Yichang can construct big passages with international and domestic bidirectional radiation. Besides, Yichang needs to create environment and realize green development by hub economy.
Chang Miao, researcher of School of Environment, Tsinghua University, the head of Institute of Environmental Management and Policy, suggested that Yichang should focus on fostering environmental protection industry. Yichang can cooperate with powers in different fields, making regional environmental protection industry together to promote rapid development of regional economy.
Since Yichang has strong power to construct the ecological Three Gorges, Jiang Tianwen, the Deputy Director of The Co-Innovation Center for Social Governance of Urban and Rural Communities in Hubei Province, the Technical Director of “Yichang Pilot”, says: “ecological management is not only about ecology, but more about protection of ecology, peaceful quitting of traditional capacities and the shift of regional power. Ecological management pilot needs to cut negative association between ecology and development and build a positive one.”
Yuan’ an took initiative in “Ecological Three Gorges & Piloting Yichang” and is making itself a county sample of all-country ecological management. At present, this county has raised 2 million RMB to establish the first ecological venture capital foundation in China, and would cultivate systematically social ecological organization of ecological management. The county Party Secretary Zhang Lixin said that Yuan’ an would be made as the headquarter of the national county ecological social organization and the leading region of ecological social management. Efforts would be also made in the system and mechanism innovation, the building of “1+3”ecological management platform based on River National Wetland Park Management Office to found the first ecological management committee of county.
To be the vanguard of water ecological environment protection in China
At the forum, Zheng Shouren, the chief engineer of Changjiang Water Resources Commission and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that Yichang is building water safety and assurance system, water ecological environment system, waterscape culture system and reform system for water management based on five development concepts, insisting on the principle of protection first, green development, acting according to local conditions and innovation development. Since Yichang is the place where the Three Gorges Reservoir locates, the water ecological environment protection is directly related to the water ecological safety of the Three Gorges Reservoir and the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River.
Zheng Shouren proposed that Yichang should be established as the demonstration zone of water ecological environment protection along the Yangtze River, striving to be the vanguard of water ecological environment protection in China. He also suggested that Yichang should strengthen the water environment protection of Yangtze River, building linkage mechanism between trans-regional ecological protection and environmental governance, coordinating the relation among flood prevention, comprehensive utilization of water resources and water ecological environment protection, fully playing its important role in guaranteeing the safety of flood prevention, water supply and ecology along the Yangtze River.
The honorary director of water resource branch of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Hao, said that the most urgent task we should do at present is to start research on key ecological protection targets and key ecological requirement mechanism, to gradually improve ecological adjustment plan through ecological adjustment practice.
From the perspective of strategic thinking, Wu Shunze, the researcher of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences put forward that Yichang possesses five functions for ecological environment, namely, “four zones and one pool”—— water sources zone, adjusting zone, barrier zone, typical zone and resources pool. What’s more, the pushing of ecological protection in Yichang is of vital importance for Yangtze River economic zone.
Wu also said that there have been definite development plan for Yangtze River economic zone, and it is a must to put it into practice. Meanwhile, it is necessary to innovate and coordinate the ecological environment along the Yangtze River with protection and governance system, to establish unified ecological environment monitor network, to perfect and coordinate key protection zone with protection mechanism, to found protection and governance fund for all the valleys along the River, to set up transverse compensation mechanism for ecological protection, to implement environmental management policies of eco-priority and green development and to carry out negative inventory management.
In the meeting, Lu Hui, the secretary of County Party Committee of Zigui said that it’s important to firmly establish the concept of eco-priority, to build harmonious ecological environment, to set up ecological governance mechanism and to actively build Demonstration County of national ecological construction. He also regarded that efforts should also be made to carry out the policy of good ecological county, build ecological Yangtze River and start the new chapter of “high gorges with smooth river” with the chance of ecological Three Gorges & “Piloting Yichang”.(Reporter, Zheng Guanghua)