Environmental Protection

2004-03-01 18:00

The Enforcement of Environmental Protection Laws The government of the Tibet Autonomous Region has consistently stressed the implementation of the nation's fundamental policy that natural resources be rationally utilized so as to protect the environment, conscientiously realizing the coordinated planning and carrying out of economic, urban and rural, and environmental construction.

In recent years, the Standing Committee of the Tibetan People's Congress and the regional government have issued a series of regional laws and administrative regulations geared to environmental protection, including "The Tibet Autonomous Region Environmental Protection Ordinance," "The Tibet Autonomous Region Forest Protection Ordinance," Interim Provisions for Grasssland Manag ement in the Tibet Autonomous Region," "The Tibet Autonomous Region People's Government Proclamation on the Protection of Aquatic Resources" and "The Tibet Autonomous Region Administrative Procedures for Environmental Protection in Construction Projects."

Regulations governing the protection of wild animals alone number 20. The government of the Tibet Autonomous Region established an environment protection agency in 1975 and an environment protection committee in 1990.

These environmental protection laws and regulations concern forests, wild plants and animals, species preservation, the ecology of agriculture and animal husbandry, headwaters, natural and manmade sites deserving of protection for scenic or cultural a nd historic reasons, valuable geological landforms, and mountains.

For many years hard work has gone to preventing forest fires and planting more trees. Since the early 1960s 70 million trees have been planted; 140,000 hectares of mountainside are sown with tree seeds every year.

Today, the amount of timber produced every year surpasses the amount cut down for consumption. In protecting the environment for agriculture and animal husbandry, emphasis is placed on expanding and bettering crop and pastureland and building water conservancy projects.

None of Tibet's 222,500 hectares of cultivated land is polluted by industrial waste gas, waste water or waste residue. Approximately 70 percent of cultivated land lost to natural disasters has been reclaimed. Irrigation has been brought to 202,000 hectares of grassland and 593,000 hectares of grassland enclosed.

Rats, insect pests and poisonous weeds have been eliminated from 1,505,000 hectares of land. The region is rich in animals and plants. It has many representative natural landscapes and types of vegetation.

In particular, 164 animals and plants are under state-level protection and 16 under regional-level protection; these include more than 40 that are found only on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau or the Himalayas. Endangered species such as the black-necked crane, takin and tiger have been able to multiply in recent years and their numbers increased.

In 1992, Chinese and American zoologists went to the valleylands of the Yarlungzangbo River and its tributaries where the black-necked cranes spend their winters. They found more than 3,800, raising the estimate of the total number of the birds worldwide to more than 5,000.

The Establishment of Nature Reserves The region has been increasing funds spent on wild animals and plants protection since the 1970s. Hunting is prohibited in the natural habitats and breeding areas of rare animals.

Between 1982 and 1985 the regional government approved the establishment of seven nature reserves in Medog, Zayu, Gangxiang Village in Bomi, Pagqi in Nyingchi, Zhangmugou in Nyalam, Jiangcun in Gyirong and at Mount Qomolangma. Medog and Qomolangma are state-level nature reserves.

In 1993 the regional government approved the establishment of six more nature reserves geared to the protection of wild animals: Qangtam, Xainza, Yanjing in Markam, Dongjug in Myingchi, Chamoling in Riwoqe, and Painbo in Lhunzhub. Currently, there are 13 nature reserves regionwide, covering an area of 325,000 square kilometres, 26.5 percent of the total area of Tibet.

Controlling Pollution The degree of industrial and other pollution in Tibet is comparatively light. No major instance of environmental pollution has ever occured and there is no acid rain. Whenever a construction project with potential environmental effects is begun there is an evaluation of environmental impact.

This system also requires that pollution control facilities be designed, constructed and completed at the same time as the main project in question. Some former sources of pollution have been brought under control. The smoke prevention and dust removal rate for fuel combustion waste gases is 80 percent regionwide.

Urban construction is reasonably planned and afforestation is stressed. The 'green rate" in Lhasa is 17.6 percent, supplying an average 12 square metres of green space per capita. In recent years, technical and research organs have completed a number of successful investigations into the sources of industrial pollution in Tibet and regional wild plant and animal resources.

Environmental supervision and monitoring stations have been established in Lhasa, Xigaze and Qamdo. Investigations indicate that Tibet's environment is currently in good shape. The air and water are essentially unpolluted. Environmental radiation is within normal limits and no manmade radioactive pollution is present.