Environmental conservation efforts in China are making a positive impact, Stanford scientists say
JUNE 16, 2016, BY BJORN CAREY
There are still areas where China needs improvement. Although the country
has the highest rate of reforestation in the world, many of the newly
planted trees are not native to the regions. These plantings are a
pragmatic short-term answer to rebuilding forests efficiently, quickly
and inexpensively, Daily said, but don’t fare as well in the long term.
This provides a basic infrastructure for wildlife, but biodiversity
continues to worsen, and will do so until there is a more natural landscape.
The assessment didn’t examine other significant challenges, such as air quality and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. These will require interventions beyond ecosystem restoration alone.
“To realize the dream of becoming the ecological civilization of the
21st century, China needs more innovation in approaches to securing both nature and human well-being,” Daily said. “This is humanity’s grand challenge – and while China is only in the first phases of transformation, its efforts are inspiring adaptation and adoption of their approaches in
other countries worldwide.”
The study, titled “Improvements in ecosystem services from investments
in natural capital,” is published in the June 17 issue of Science.
https://news.stanford.edu/2016/06/16/chinas-environmental-conservation-efforts-making-positive-impact-stanford-scientists-say/
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