"Organizing and encouraging tree planting and forest protection," is an important part of China's Constitution. President Xi Jinping has participated in tree planting activities for seven consecutive years. In 2020, when participating in voluntary tree planting activities in the capital, he emphasized that it is necessary to firmly establish the concept of "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and strengthen ecological protection and restoration. "Protecting every inch of green" has also been a work that China has been unswervingly advancing for many years.

Strengthening the protection of the ecological environment and striving to build a barrier for ecological security in the western region of China has always been the important task of the western provinces, including Gansu Province. Located at the intersection of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, Dunhuang is an important part of China's northwestern ecological security. As an important national project for afforestation in China, the Three-North Shelterbelt plays an important role in preventing and controlling desertification erosion, improving the ecological environment of the Three-North region, and plays an important role in constructing a “two barriers and three belts” ecological security patten to ensure national ecological security.

However, in the past two years, the important position of the lifeline for windbreak and sand fixation - Dunhuang Yangguan Forest Site has been artificially torn open a large broken hole. According to an investigation report published on January 20, 2021 by the reporters from the Economic Information Daily, in the past ten years, more than 10,000 mu of public welfare protection forests in this area have been cut down. As a result, an artificially torn up a five-kilometer-wide Kumtag Desert leading directly to Dunhuang. Media reports once again confirmed the facts reflected in the environmental public interest litigation case filed by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF): The situation of deforestation and development to grow grapes for profit is very serious.

On January 22, 2021, the "Dunhuang Yangguan Deforestation Case Symposium (online and offline simultaneously)" convened by the CBCGDF Policy and Research Department was held in Beijing. The meeting invited experts and scholars in the fields of ecological environmental protection, desert governance, environmental justice, and on-site investigation reporters to participate. Based on the circumstances of this CBCGDF environmental public interest litigation (EPIL) case, the participants had in-depth discussions on issues such as the tort of ecological damage in the Dunhuang Yangguan deforestation case, the approval and supervision responsibilities of local government departments, and the functions of judicial departments. The meeting was livestreamed on multiple digital platforms under CBCGDF Media and the number of live online viewers exceeded 10,000.

In his opening speech at the symposium, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of CBCGDF emphasized that ecological civilization thought has always emphasized that “lucid waters and lush mountains” should always be placed first and most importantly, only to ensure lucid waters and lush mountains can have invaluable assets. Promoting the integration of ecological and environmental protection into the track of the rule of law and protecting the ecological environment with the strictest system and the strictest rule of law is an important part of the central government's strengthening of the legal system for ecological civilization. The foundation of the rule of law lies in the people, and giving full play to the protection and supervision of the people to maintain national ecological security is an important guarantee for the effective implementation of our country's ecological civilization construction.

At the meeting, Gao Jianhong, the lawyer representing the CBCGDF's Yangguan deforestation case, and Wang Wenzhi, the reporter from the Economic Information Daily who reported on the matter respectively introduced the latest progress of the case and on-site investigations. Yu Shunli, member of the Committee of the Democratic League of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Branch of the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Liu Dingzhen, professor of School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Jing Qianping, PhD, Zhongli Assets Appraisal Co., Ltd, Gao Guilin, Director of the Research Center of Environmental and Economic Law, Capital University of Economics and Business, and Researcher of the Supreme People's Court Environmental Resources Judicial Theory Research Base, Cao Mingde, Professor of China University of Political Science and Law, Vice President of Environmental Resources Law Research Association of China Law Society, Mo Yuchuan, Professor of Renmin University of China, Executive Director of the Research Center for Constitutionalism and Administrative Law, Shen Jinzhong, Associate Professor of Law School of Nankai University, Director of Environmental Resources Law Research Association of China Law Society, Sun Youhai, Dean of Tianjin University Law School and Executive Dean of China Green Development Research Institute of Tianjin University, Wang Canfa, Director of the Research and Service Center of Environmental Resources Law, China University of Political Science and Law, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, Wang Xi, Distinguished Professor of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Director of the Research Base of Ecological Civilization and Environmental Law, Yang Zhaoxia, Professor and Director of the Research Center of Ecological Law, Beijing Forestry University, and Professor Zhou Ke, Renmin University of China Law School and vice president of Beijing Law Society delivered keynote speeches successively at the meeting. This meeting was chaired by Ma Yong, Deputy Secretary-General of CBCGDF.

In the EPIL case filed by the CBCGDF, the two defendants, the state-owned Dunhuang Yangguan Forest Site and the Dunhuang Wine Industry Co., Ltd., passed procedures that appeared to be “legal”, felled on a large scale the protection and public welfare forests that several generations of Dunhuang people worked hard and sacrificed greatly. The felled forest land is all used for planting vines that consume a lot of water. However, the grape branches need to be buried in soil to prevent cold. Burying in autumn and winter and unearthed in spring will cause the soil to be turned over a large area, which will cause loose sand on the surface and form mobile sand, which is not conducive to local wind and sand fixation. From November of that year to April of the next year, the surface soil was exposed for half a year, coupled with frequent windy weather in winter and spring, not only artificially created a large area of sand and dust sources, but also intensified wind erosion of forest land.

Since 2018, the CBCGDF Policy and Research Department has been paying close attention to the destruction of public welfare forests in Yangguan Forest Site, and after field investigation and evidence collection, it submitted a complaint to the People's Court of Gansu Mining Area on March 29, 2019. However, since then, the progress of the case has been difficult.

Why does the Yangguan Forest Site continue to have such serious large-scale deforestation practices? Who is approving and who is in charge of monitoring? What is the reason that this kind of situation cannot be contained for many years?

The participants at the symposium combined the wonderful exposition of the discussion topics, and the CBCGDF Media will continue to follow up and report.

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/15172.html

By / Maggie

https://www.paypal.me/CBCGDFChina

http://www.cbcgdf.org/English/ConfirmDonaTion/0.html