At a press conference held recently by the Information Office of Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, relevant officials from the Department of Natural Resources of Sichuan Province stated that Sichuan is pushing forward mine ecological rehabilitation and geological disaster prevention in tandem, and carrying out a clearance campaign for legacy mines in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, a total of 44,100 mu of mine land has been rehabilitated. A national demonstration project has been implemented in the Ya’an section of Giant Panda National Park, effectively eliminating hidden risks of soil erosion in mining areas.
In 2022, the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and sand in the Zoige grassland and wetland on the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Sichuan was fully launched. Adhering to systematic governance and scientific targeted measures, Sichuan has set phased goals: wind prevention and sand fixation in the first year, vegetation restoration in the second year, seedling survival guarantee in the third year, continuous management and protection in the fourth year, and mixed shrub-grass vegetation establishment in the fifth year. The province has coordinated the implementation of 39 sub-projects falling into 10 major categories including grassland and wetland restoration and land desertification control, with more than 5,000 ecological restoration sites spread across the entire wetland.
As the most critical water conservation area in the upper Yellow River, Zoige once faced severe challenges including grassland degradation and land desertification. At present, the Zoige mountains-rivers ecological project has been basically completed, with 232,500 hectares of ecological protection and restoration finished, an area equivalent to 340 West Lakes in Hangzhou. The dramatic transformation of Zoige from an ecologically stressed region to a vibrant ecosystem serves as a vivid epitome of Sichuan’s efforts to curb soil erosion with systematic thinking.
Sichuan also integrates geological disaster management with soil and water conservation. It has finished 4,968 geological disaster treatment and risk elimination projects, reducing soil erosion area by more than 2,500 hectares and achieving multiple benefits including hazard removal, ecological restoration and water retention in one initiative.
In mineral resource administration, Sichuan balances mineral exploitation and ecological protection, rolling out 17 policy measures to advance green mine construction and setting rigid ecological protection requirements in the transfer of mining rights. Up to now, over 610 mining enterprises across the province have signed construction agreements, and 63 mines have been included in the provincial green mine inventory. All local authorities are required to consult water administrative departments when revising mineral resource planning, so as to prevent new soil erosion at the source.