Ministry of Natural Resources: China's mangrove area has achieved a net increase

A spokesman for the Ministry of Natural Resources recently briefed the media on the work of the Ministry of Natural Resources in implementing the Marine Environmental Protection Law in recent years.

Article 33 of the Marine Environmental Protection Law stipulates that the State Council and the people's governments at all levels in coastal areas shall take effective measures to focus on the protection of typical and representative marine ecosystems such as mangroves. The spokesman said that the Ministry of Natural Resources attaches great importance to the protection of mangroves, and together with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, it has thoroughly implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on mangrove protection and restoration.

The first is to improve the top-level design of mangrove protection. The Special Action Plan for Mangrove Protection and Restoration (2020-2025) was jointly issued to comprehensively deploy tasks related to mangrove protection and restoration.

The second is to intensify the overall protection of mangroves. We have completed the delineation of ecological protection redlines, and guided five provinces, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, and Zhejiang, to classify 28,200 hectares of mangrove forests as ecological protection redlines, covering an area of about 97% of the total area of existing mangrove forests.

The third is to implement mangrove protection and restoration projects. The central government has supported local governments to organize and implement 40 major marine ecological protection and restoration projects involving mangrove planting or restoration, and the goal of creating new mangroves and restoring existing mangroves nationwide has basically been achieved by more than half of the time and half of the tasks.

Fourth, innovative and incentive-oriented policies and systems. The Ministry of Natural Resources will reward 40% of the annual qualified area of mangrove afforestation with the index of new construction land plan to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of local mangrove management.

Fifth, increase scientific and technological support for mangrove protection and restoration. Formulate technical specifications such as mangrove ecological restoration manuals, carry out annual survey and monitoring, and comprehensively use remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles, manual on-site surveys and other means to timely grasp the number, distribution, ecological status and change trend of mangroves. By the end of 2023, the national mangrove area has increased to 29,200 hectares, which is one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in mangrove area, and mangrove protection and restoration have achieved phased results.

In the next step, the Ministry of Natural Resources will work with relevant departments to guide local governments to continue to promote the protection and restoration of mangroves, actively explore new paths for mangrove construction and restoration in harmony between man and nature, strengthen the management of mangrove alien species, establish a long-term mechanism for management and protection in the later stage, and continuously improve the diversity, stability and sustainability of mangrove ecosystems.

Article 42 of the Marine Environmental Protection Law stipulates that the competent department of natural resources under the State Council shall be responsible for coordinating marine ecological restoration, taking the lead in organizing the preparation of marine ecological restoration plans and implementing major projects related to marine ecological restoration. The Ministry of Natural Resources has carried out the following work in marine ecological restoration:

First, strengthen planning and guidance. In conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued the "Construction Plan for Major Projects for Ecological Protection and Restoration of the Coastal Zone (2021-2035)", formulated and issued the "Special Action Plan for Mangrove Protection and Restoration (2020-2025)", "14th Five-Year Plan" Marine Ecological Protection and Restoration Action Plan and other plans and action plans, and systematically planned and laid out key projects related to marine ecological restoration.

The second is to scientifically implement and strictly supervise marine ecological restoration projects. Strengthen the overall planning of land and sea, the linkage of rivers and seas, scientifically lay out and organize the implementation of marine ecological protection and restoration projects, cooperate with the Ministry of Finance to support the provincial natural resources (ocean) authorities to organize and implement major projects such as the "Blue Bay" rectification action, the comprehensive management of the Bohai Sea, the marine ecological restoration, and the protection and restoration of mangroves, so as to promote the improvement and restoration of coastlines, coastal wetlands, and islands in key areas. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the central government has supported coastal cities to implement 63 marine ecological protection and restoration projects. The "Guidelines for the Supervision of Marine Ecological Protection and Restoration Projects (Trial)" was issued to refine the division of labor and work requirements for project supervision from the aspects of project declaration, implementation, acceptance, post-management and protection, and comprehensive effectiveness evaluation.

The third is to establish and improve the standard system. Organize the compilation and issuance of a series of standards and specifications such as the "Technical Guidelines for Marine Ecological Restoration", compile and complete the "Mangrove Ecological Restoration Manual" and "Technical Guidelines for Ecological Restoration in Spartina alterniflora Treatment Areas (Trial)", and solidly promote the formulation of technical specifications for the evaluation of the effectiveness of marine ecological restoration, and a series of standards for the technical guidelines for ecological restoration monitoring and effect evaluation.

Fourth, guide the development of blue carbon work. guide Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province to carry out the country's first mangrove blue carbon trading; Guiding the compilation of the "Methodology of Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Projects - Mangrove Planting" to provide scientific and standardized guidance for the development of mangrove carbon sink projects in China. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, 2,000 kilometers of coastline and 600,000 acres of coastal wetlands have been restored across the country through solid organization and restoration of marine ecological protection.

The spokesman said that in the next step, the Ministry of Natural Resources will deeply implement Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought and Xi Jinping's rule of law thought, adhere to the overall planning of land and sea, river-sea linkage, take the bay as the basic unit, and "one bay and one policy" to promote the prevention and control of pollution in coastal waters, ecological protection and restoration, and coastal beach environmental improvement, continuously improve the quality and stability of mangroves and other important marine ecosystems, promote the national marine ecological protection and restoration work to a new level, and help realize the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.