As the mother river of Hangzhou Province, the Qiantang River boats rich cultural heritage. Its magnificence and grandeur was appreciated by many Chinese poets.
“Culture is the carrier of civilization”, stressed by Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of China Biodiversity and Green Development Foundation, CBCGDF delivered his keynote speech in the day’s form. From the perspective of the culture of the Qingtang River, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng shared CBCGDF’s vision of “green development and urban civilization” with the organizing party, governments and guests from home and aboard.
As a matter of fact, strategies on Yongjiang (river cities) development have been mapped out a year ago. Since April, 2017, the concept of “Yongjiang (river cities) development” was proposed by Hangzhou municipal administration in the annual plenary sessions. Yongjiang (river cities) development refers to the transformation of a city embraced on three sides of mountains to one which water flowing through, based on its urban spatial pattern that features the Qingtang River extending 235 kilometers in Hangzhou City and improve the multi-centered, networking, coordinated, ecological urban framework, turning Qiantang River to the river inside the city.
H20 Global River Cities Summit provides a brilliant platform for exchange and communication for cities with more rivers in the world just like Hangzhou in exploring how we can create a world where mankind and waters can enjoy harmony.
Dr. Zhou Jinfeng argued that river cities is a paramount ecological from and a starting point of biodiversity conservation projects. He reckoned that given special features of cities, biodiversity conservation in cities is more crucial than in reserves. When it comes to biodiversity conservation, the first thing comes across people’s mind is to protect giant pandas, and to protect them in reserves, such as Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province; yet it will be more influential to call for biodiversity conservation education in cities as it has more population and also more direct to launch biodiversity conservation activities in cities. City is the root of global biodiversity conservation.
For instance, citizens eat pangolins and also take them as medicines, which lead to commercial extinction of pangolins globally. Although multiply endeavors to protect pangolins in reserves including Wuyi mountain were taken, demands of pangolins from cities have continue to stimulate illegal hunting of pangolins. At this point, pangolin is protected under People’s Republic of China Wildlife Protection Law. Similarly, due to rapid urban sprawl, buckbeans (Menyanthes trifoliate L. ) in Beijing has faced with extinction. In cities, the collection of rosewood and the preference of rosewood furniture also cause disappearance of a good number of rosewoods and result in severe damage of soil and forests. More significantly, conserving biodiversity in cities does not only mean the conservation of animals and plants, but also the protection of natural reserves, and river cities are important homes to humans.
“When human enter the era of ecological civilization, we should change our wat of life as it is closely associated with urban green development”, secretary-general Zhou Jinfeng pointed out. He also mentioned many problems that need attention in the course of urban green development, such as plastic flowers, atmospheric pollution, sewage discharge, excess illumination and abuse of chemicals.
“Urban sprawl is unavoidable; yet “how to strike a balance between urban sprawl and green development and next ecological civilization” is a new yet significant subject of urban development and next civilization, and should be considered in new urban culture”, Dr. Zhou said. He took Jianguomen in Beijing as an example. In his childhood, he could find wild grasses, streams, locusts and various bio-diversities in its neighborhood, while at this moment, these scenes cannot be seen anymore only in Jiangguomen but in many areas which are close to the center, due to the fact that Beijing city continues to sprawl very rapidly.
“We must make a change from today, from here. Change our concept and way of life. These thoughts need to be proposed now at H20 Summit.”According to Dr. Zhou, not long ago, in the Annual General Meeting of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, plastic bottles were replaced by glasses and ceramic cups. As is known to all, plastics serves as one of the major pollutants of ocean. A good number of marine organisms die from marine pollution. Yet what are the causes of marine pollution? They are from main streams of rivers that flowing down from the cities. Dr. Zhou Jinfeng stressed that as we have been through many vicissitudes of civilization, it is the time for us to make a change today. We need to transform urban civilization, which is also what Yongjiang (river cities) development proposed.
“Ecological civilization is a new civilization. Meanwhile the concept of beauty also needs defining”, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng believed that nature itself is a form of beauty. And sharing with the nature represents the thinking of ecological civilization. For example, greensward is an outcome of industrial civilization. In Peking University, a biodiversity conservation activity themed by “No weeding, no pesticide” was launched in the campus. Greensward needs weeding, spraying pesticide, fertilizing and watering. However, such things cannot be burdened by cities in the future. In addition to this, in Antarctic penguins’bodies, a chemical called 666 (Hexachlorocycohexane) was found, which originates from cities along rivers, from greensward, from the so-called beauty. Our ecological civilization and culture should be transformed in the new era. What is beauty? The wilderness and weeds can also be beautiful; beauty does not only represent simple, neat and dull lawns. These are desert regardless of their color.
“From today, we need to change ourselves as we enter ecological civilization; we need to transform our culture so it can adopt the new civilization”, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng shared a scientific report he had recently read with attendees. The report pointed out that we are the last generation to save the planet (human’s habitat) and ourselves. If we do not take any actions now, the sixth mass extinction can by no means be avoided. Climate change would result in cities like Hangzhou and Shanghai inundated by floods.
“H20 Summit is one of the best platforms that allows human to take part in ecological civilization management. We should create a H20 announcement so that our best experience and Yongjiang (river cities) concept can be spread overseas. It will be a fairly effective way of our engagement in global ecological management.” Dr. Zhou Jinfeng also explained that since the beginning of 2013, President Xi Jinping put forth the proposal of creating a community of shared future for mankind. This time, he hoped that relevant parties of the summit could make good use of this platform. In doing so, they could establish a committee so that we can really engage in the global ecological management and build the community of shared future for mankind.
(Photo: CBCGDF)
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/6748.html
By / Liu Lu