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The natural beauty of ChongmingIsland. by Chinafotopress |
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If all goes according to the ambitious joint plans of government, industry and research institutes, by 2010 the 600,000 inhabitants of Chongming Island will return home from work within super-low-emission vehicles silently sliding down environmentally-friendly roads designed to cut noise and reflective light. And once back in their energy efficient homes, to power their lights and appliances they will rely on renewable sources of energy derived from solar, wind and geothermal sources.
Situated in a suburb of Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River and at about the midpoint of China’s western Pacific coastal line, Chongming Island spans 1,267 square kilometers - a land mass equivalent to one-sixth of the total area of Shanghai. After Taiwan and Hainan, Chongming is the third largest island in China, and it is the world’s largest alluvial river island. Comprised within is a unique wetland landscape, rich biological resources and an ideal environment for harvesting the natural energies of sun and wind.
Famous for its clean water, land and air, the island is not greatly impacted by human activities; relative to other industrialized areas along the Yangtze River Delta. The adverse side is that due to its distance from downtown Shanghai, the scale and economic benefit of the secondary and tertiary industries lack competitive power.
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Cycling through Chongming Island. CFP |
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To set the stage for sustainable development, in 2002 Shanghai’s municipal government mapped out the Environmentally-Friendly Master Plan for ChongmingIsland, dividing the island into five sections, assigning a particular function to each. These include: a scenic area for ecological demonstration and leisure and sports activities; a central forest area for holiday visitors and business; an amusement and tourist area featuring theme parks and eco-agriculture; a rural-styled downtown area where the population and industries are densely concentrated; and a lakeview holiday resort for international conventions and vacations.
But Chongming does now face problems, such as ecological degradation and industrial backwardness. In response, the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality organized approximately 100 experts from various universities, research institutes and enterprises to carry out field surveys across the island. After research which included the examining of development modes employed in metropolis islands like New York’s Long Island, Canada’s Vancouver and Hong Kong’s Maipo Marsh, they produced the Scientific Supporting Executive Plan for the Construction of Chongming Ecologically-Friendly Island..
That executive plan calls for an industrial ecological pattern to be established to safeguard systems of ecological balance and environmental security. Already in place is an early warning system designed to monitor the ecological bearing capacity and ecological safety. Scientists will evaluate and, if required, issue early warnings on the island’s developing patterns, industries, resources and environmental dynamics. They will also provide advisories concerning the economic development and sustainable evolution of the island.
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A visitor picks mulberries. by Imagine China |
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Concurrently, the Ecological Scientific Innovation Base was established to directly address current technological bottlenecks in Chongming’s development - for example, everglade protection. The base will first direct efforts to building up the Ecological Research center of ShanghaiMunicipality. Meanwhile, supported by FudanUniversity, TongjiUniversity and ShanghaiJiaotongUniversity, the ChongmingCounty government will co-establish six major labs, including the Everglade Science and Ecological Engineering Lab, the Environmental Science and Prevention and Control of Pollution Lab, and the Ecological Agriculture and Food Safety Lab.
Last year two other islands, Changxing and Hengsha, were incorporated into the jurisdiction of ChongmingCounty and similar plans were extended to those. By 2020 Chongming is projected to be a world-class model for the sustainable human-ecological scenario - a truly eco-friendly island with a beautiful natural environment and a developed economy.
