Interview with Dr. Zhou Jinfeng from Hungarian Language Department of China Media Group: Wetland Conservation and International Cooperation/RAMSAR COP14
2022/1/19 17:05:00 本站

Lake Felt in Hungary has been a World Heritage site and a Protected Ramsar site since 2001. In 2016, the Hungarian government allocated 7.9 billion Hungarian forints for the tourism development of Felt Lake without prior public consultation and has since provided no detailed information about the project. In order for the planned giant harbor and beach to work properly, the riverbed must be thoroughly excavated, destroying the wetlands' long-stable ecology.

 

In August 2020,CBCGDFs International Dep. received a letter from the Friends of Lake Felt, seeking help based on the fact that Lake Felt is being improperly developed as a World Heritage site, and asking people of vision to sign a joint letter to raise their voices to UNESCO. The international Department of CBCGDF translated the message immediately, put it into its eco-Belt and Road case database, and republished it on Chinese network.

 

On January 14, 2022, the reporter of The Hungarian Language Department of euler Center of China Media Group interviewed Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, Vice President and Secretary General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation.

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Dr. Zhou said the E40 project was previously suspended through a similar organization while participating in relevant international events in Kiev, Ukraine. The Hungarian project was prompted by publicity and a joint letter from dozens of civil society organizations, and UNESCO sent a letter to the local government to halt the project.

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Dr. Zhou jinfeng said that the environmental impact assessment of the Dredging project in Shenzhen Bay, which was exposed by the Legal Committee of the Green Council, had a good result. It not only prevented the local environment from being damaged, but also became a typical case of people's participation in environmental governance mentioned by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

 

 

 

Talking about the relationship between ecotourism and local conservation, Dr. Zhou mentioned the current situation of the International Convention on Wetlands. We should not measure the protection of wetlands based on economic criteria, but should directly examine the condition of wetlands to protect local populations. Similar development of wetlands is therefore short-sighted and reckless. He said he hoped that the Hungarian wetland issue would also produce a good result through international cooperation and participation.

 

 

 

As for solutions to local wetland problems, Dr Zhou says there is room for progress only if things are fully discussed in the light of day. Public participation, including that of scientists, social organizations and even developers, is the key to solving the problem.

 

 

 

With regard to this year's RAMSAR COP14 in Wuhan, Dr. Zhou said that as China's ecological protection is improving as a whole, our focus should be on changing the way of production and life and increasing the importance of people's participation. Second, the protection of small and micro wetlands should be put in the spotlight, and every ecosystem in nature should be respected. In the case of unsatisfactory wetland restoration and constructed wetland, we need to pay more attention to prevention.

 

Original Chinese Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fDtiTtPflUhOvPFE3Pfudw

 

Translator/Lucy

 

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