China to promote scientific approach to afforestation

BEIJING - The General Office of the State Council has issued a guideline on adopting scientific measures as part of China's afforestation efforts to fundamentally improve the country's natural environment.

The guideline highlights 14 measures related to various fields of scientific afforestation, including planning, land arrangement, utilization of water resources, selection of green species, vegetation restoration, returning farmland to forest and grassland, and innovative evaluation.

It urges efforts to grow trees and grass following the inherent rules of the ecosystem to improve the stability of the ecosystem and its capacity for self-repair, while coordinating the protection, restoration and controlling of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grass and sand.

The guideline underscores the principle of considering local conditions, land situations and the capacity of water resources in vegetation selection, in order to build a healthy and stable ecosystem, as well as carrying out land greening frugally and pragmatically across the country.

It also urges local authorities to strengthen the management, supervision and inspection of land-greening activities.