Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Shanghai Despite recent gains, the majority of China's marine ecosystems remain in poor condition, an...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Shanghai Despite recent gains, the majority of China's marine ecosystems remain in poor condition, and additional efforts are required to monitor, safeguard, and restore coastal waters, an official from the environment ministry said on Thursday.
Zhang Zhifeng, deputy head of the marine ecology division of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, stated at a briefing that "the majority of the typical marine ecosystems that are monitored are in a sub-healthy condition."
China has issued a warning that the quick and intense growth in coastal areas has put tremendous pressure on the environment and that pollution and habitat destruction are still not completely under control. It has already committed to putting in place a plan to rehabilitate significant stretches of its coastline.
Zhang claimed that this year, China approved 15 projects for coastal infrastructure, totaling 66.9 billion yuan ($9.98 billion). Additionally, 378 licences permitting businesses to dump rubbish in the sea have been issued by it.
He claimed that China's marine biodiversity had increased recently and that about 30% of the country's coastal waters and 37% of its continental coastline now fall under the protection of a "red line" programme.
In order to comply with the "ecological protection red line" system, which China introduced in 2011, each region was required to create maps showing the untouched woods, rivers, wetlands, and other ecosystems that must be protected from development.
Currently, the programme covers about 25% of China's area, but China is being pressured to join other nations in committing to safeguard at least 30% of its land and sea by 2030.
During discussions over a new post-2020 global biodiversity treaty, the target was scheduled to be brought up. The last round of negotiations was initially scheduled to take place in Kunming in southeast China, but it has now been changed to Montreal due to worries that China's strict zero-COVID policies will derail the negotiations.
($1 = 6.7058 yuan)
