Biodiversity is the basis of life, it makes every living organism on earth unique and allows nature to flourish. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in May 2001 declaring 22 May every year as the “International Day for Biological Diversity” to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
China has a vast area, where both land and sea are available. The complex and varied landforms and climates have given rise to rich and unique ecosystems and species and genetic diversity. It is one of the richest biodiversity countries in the world. As one of the first parties to sign and ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity, China has always attached great importance to the protection of biodiversity, and the continuous promotion of innovation in biodiversity protection will promote the development of biodiversity protection with Chinese characteristics. The way has been paved. In such a situation, the question arises that what steps has China actually taken?
First, the prevention and control of pollution has been promoted. In terms of air quality, the average concentration of PM2.5 in cities at the prefecture level and above nationwide in 2022 was 29 micrograms per cubic meter, a decrease of 3.3 percent from 2021. At the same time, the risk of soil pollution is effectively controlled, and the entry of foreign waste is strictly prohibited to achieve the goal of “zero import” of solid waste.
Second, the protection and restoration of the ecosystem has been continuously strengthened. A natural conservation system dominated by national parks has been established. The total area of ​​nature conservation areas of different levels and types is about 18 per cent of the total land area of ​​the country. In addition, major biodiversity conservation projects have been implemented in the country, under which more than 300 rare and endangered wild animal and plant species have been restored and their numbers increased. Wild elephants in Yunnan Province, dolphins in the Yangtze River, Tibetan antelope, etc. have become frequent sightings.
Third, green, circular and low-carbon development has been vigorously developed. In the year 2021, the country’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP decreased by 34.4 percent as compared to 2012. The scale of development and utilization of renewable energy and the production and sales of new energy vehicles rank first in the world. The high-quality development of the country has started to be based on green development.
Conservation of biodiversity is the shared responsibility of all mankind. As a next step, China will promote sustainable production and sustainable consumption to reduce threats to biodiversity. At the same time, conservation will create new trends in biodiversity conservation through a combination of restoration and transformative change.
(Credits, China Media Group, Beijing)
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