Author: Zhang Linglin (Institute of Science and Technology Strategic Consulting, Chinese Academy of Sciences); Haijuan Qiao (Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute); Kang Wenjian (Hebei University of Engineering)
General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed at the symposium on in-depth promotion of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin that it is necessary to do a good job in the control of soil erosion and desertification prevention in the upper and middle reaches, and promote the comprehensive treatment of the river basin.
The source area of the Yellow River Basin (hereinafter referred to as heyuan district) is located in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, mainly involving Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and other provinces, and is a national key ecological function area, as well as an ecological environment sensitive area, a fragile area, or an important ecological barrier on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yellow River Basin and even the whole country. The heyuan area has ecosystems such as forests, grasslands and wetlands, which play an extremely important role in soil and water conservation. In recent years, positive progress has been made in system construction, supervision and management, key governance, monitoring and informatization in heyuan district, but soil erosion is still one of the severe ecological problems facing Heyuan district.
Although the soil erosion intensity level is mainly mild, the area of soil erosion in Heyuan District reached 25,100 square kilometers in 2018, which is relatively difficult to control, causing serious harm to the ecological environmental protection and economic and social development of Heyuan District. Grassland degradation, serious grassland rat infestation, overload grazing in grasslands in some areas, indiscriminate excavation of grassland, excessive deforestation, etc. are the main reasons for the degradation of vegetation and the aggravation of soil erosion in some areas of the Heyuan area.
The main problems exist in soil and water conservation in the heyuan area
First, the investment in funds is insufficient. Although the comprehensive treatment of soil erosion has been increasing in recent years, the overall investment in soil and water conservation is insufficient, and the proportion of total water conservancy investment continues to be low. The deviation between the estimated budget quota and the actual project unit price is large, and there is still a big gap between the capital investment and the governance task.
Second, the water and soil conservation of small watersheds is insufficient. At present, the progress of soil and water conservation work is relatively slow, and the scale of treatment is relatively small. The construction of comprehensive water and soil conservation projects in small watersheds is limited to local areas, and it is impossible to completely curb soil erosion from the source.
Third, the scientific and technological support for soil and water conservation is insufficient. There are few scientific and technological forces and scientific and technological achievements in the prevention and control of soil erosion, and there is a lack of talent and technical support. The existing level of science and technology cannot provide strong support for large-scale and high-efficiency comprehensive management of soil erosion, and cannot meet the needs of soil erosion prevention and control under the new situation.
Fourth, the monitoring and supervision of soil and water conservation is insufficient. Although the monitoring and supervision of soil and water conservation in heyuan district has been strengthened, there is still a big gap compared with the target requirements of ecological protection in heyuan area. At present, the monitoring of soil and water conservation is still in its infancy, the supervision and management system of soil and water conservation needs to be improved, and the law enforcement and supervision and management capabilities of soil and water conservation construction need to be strengthened urgently.
Proposals to strengthen soil erosion control in river source areas
It is very important to establish a comprehensive soil erosion prevention and control system that is compatible with the level of economic and social development in the heyuan area. In accordance with the principle of "prevention first, protection first, adapting measures to local conditions, taking multiple measures at the same time, highlighting key points, scientific management, and paying attention to efficiency", we should strengthen financial support, carry out the construction of small watershed projects, improve the ability of scientific and technological support, and strengthen dynamic monitoring, so as to provide strong support for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Heyuan area.
The first is to increase investment in soil and water conservation. In order to make up for the funding gap during the project construction period, local governments can use their own financial credit as a guarantee to raise funds through channels such as state-owned bank loans. After the completion of the project, the financial funds will be used to repay the principal and interest of the loan. Projects that use financial funds for infrastructure construction, after meeting the preliminary control standards for soil erosion, will then guide social capital to actively invest in soil erosion control and deepen treatment and development. Local governments should improve policies such as land rights demarcation, auction and contracting, enhance service awareness, strengthen technical guidance, and attract social capital to participate in soil erosion control.
The second is to carry out comprehensive management of soil erosion in small watersheds. Focusing on the protection of natural pastures and grasslands, it is appropriate to allocate soil and water conservation forests, so as to organically combine engineering, plants and grass planting measures. Optimize the allocation of water and soil resources, improve the carrying capacity of land and livestock, and develop characteristic industries. Promote the structural adjustment of animal husbandry, continuously improve the water and soil conservation service function of the ecosystem, and ensure the sustainable development of regional economy and society.
The third is to increase the scientific and technological support for soil and water conservation. Use satellite remote sensing, big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies to accelerate the construction of digital water conservation and smart water conservation, and improve the efficiency of supervision, governance and monitoring quality. Focusing on the mechanism of soil and water conservation, ecological value, carbon sink capacity, etc., we will carry out basic research and scientific and technological research, and strengthen the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Strengthen the construction of the team and the cultivation of talents, establish and improve the training induction and rotation training system, and comprehensively improve the comprehensive quality of water conservation personnel.
The fourth is to strengthen the dynamic monitoring of soil erosion. Improve the network of soil and water conservation monitoring stations, and improve the ability and level of soil and water conservation monitoring. Promote the full coverage of remote sensing supervision of soil and water conservation in production and construction projects, strengthen the full-cycle tracking and inspection of the implementation of water and soil conservation plans for production and construction projects, and prevent and control man-made soil erosion.
Source: China Environment News
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