Guiyang urged to do better job in urban forest protection

A provincial symposium themed on protecting urban forest shelter belts was held on Feb 20 in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

In line with the national environmental strategy which has adopted the guiding principle of "lush mountains and lucid waters are invaluable assets", provincial government officials urged Guiyang government departments responsible to regard forest protection work as a priority.

They said it should be an integral function to ensure the city's ecological security, especially for the protection of urban forest shelter belts, which are deeply associated with Guiyang's long-term economic prosperity.

The meeting required officials to strengthen their comprehensive, systematic and source-oriented governance over the region's ecosystem.

To help reach China's double-carbon goals, the Guiyang municipal government will take gradual steps to raise the city's forest coverage rate and the forest-growing stock, in order to improve the ecosystem's carbon sink capabilities.

Meanwhile, authorities were advised to develop the under-forest economy, prevent risks of biological disasters and fire, enhance pest control and biodiversity preservation, improve law enforcement levels, fully implement the forest chief system and push forward with a modern forest governance mechanism.