The ecological awareness of our entire society is now in unprecedented high level, but in terms of specific practices, some have caused a lot of controversy. Recently, I read a report on Liangzi Lake's Fish and Grass Contest(《鱼草较量》), and I have something to say.
For example, scientists and experts who study aquatic plants have made great efforts to plant aquatic plants. Relevant reports introduced how difficult this might be, how large-scale this is and how they overcame many difficulties to carry out large-scale aquatic weed planting in Liangzi Lake. However, in natural water bodies, the first rule of biodiversity conservation is “protection” which means preventing human damage or intervention (Intervention sometimes is also a type of damage).
Traditionally, as for the protection of lakes, we are talking about preventing sewage discharge and its poisoning natural life. Now the sewage treatment stations in various places have made a large-scale improvement in the control of water pollution. However, planting aquatic plants on a large area—this seemingly ecological approach is actually a kind of damage to nature.
Liangzi Lake is one of the top ten freshwater lakes in China. It is located at the junction of Jiangxia District, Wuhan City and Ezhou City, Hubei Province, China. It is also the second largest lake in Hubei Province. Carrying out aquatic weed planting activities in lakes is also a break with nature and can only be carried out after very careful scientific research. In particular, it is necessary to look at it on a large scale - from a macro perspective of the Yangtze River Basin, as well as to study the regularity of the historical succession of lakes and act prudently.
The act of experts searching for new aquatic plants from all over the country, and then introducing various grass seeds in Liangzi Lake might bring biological invasion, ecological niche adjustment and ecological niche encroachment, so this approach has to be carefully examined for its potential danger.
We have always adhered to the "Four Principles of Ecological Restoration": principle of conservation, the principle of nature, the principle of finiteness and the principle of system, and we hope everyone will pay attention to it again.
We can't move the water plants in the lake at will; meanwhile, artificially putting fry and other species to the water body seems to have become a public welfare cause, and it seems to be very meaningful and everyone is eager to do it. As with "planting water plants", we need to consider the consequences: what fish are in the natural water body, and how many fish are there? Natural objective laws should not be easily intervened by human. The ecological crisis that Liangzi Lake faces today is another impact of industrial civilization on ecological civilization.
Industrial civilization has made us very powerful. Hundreds and thousands of fish can be put into rivers and lakes at one time. However, have you considered about the capacity of natural rivers and lakes? Huge amount of money was spent to multiply and release millions of fish fry to Liangzi Lake, but have people considered the impact of large-scale clusters of a single species on its natural water ecological environment? We need to be vigilant in terms of protection and these behaviors need to be prevented.
Therefore, “protection” means protecting the nature from human’s invasion. Don't plant aquatic plants on a large scale, don't put artificially fry and other species to the water body on a large scale.
Original Chinese Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/X2YZENY6d6U7D4xTkQBuYA
Translator: Daisy
Checked by Sara
Editor: Sherry
Contact the editors: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776
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