This summer, Beijing ushered in the first heavy rainfall in 140 years, and unlike in the past, the northern region not only has a trend of increasing precipitation in summer, but also the number of rainy days has changed. The damage caused by heavy rain is obvious, and the urban waterlogging caused by flooding has caused considerable losses to China's social and economic development. However, at the same time, another phenomenon brought about by precipitation is that with the continuous promotion of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin in China, the vegetation coverage of the Yellow River Basin has been improved, the biodiversity has been increasing, and the "green line" of the Yellow River has moved westward by about 300 kilometers. 
The picture shows Zhu Shuifang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine.
Zhu Shuifang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, told reporters that with the warming of the climate, the rainfall in the northwest region has significantly improved the effect of returning farmland to forest, the vegetation coverage area has increased significantly, the environment has been beautified, and the expansion of the green area has not only preserved water but also preserved high-quality soil. "The remarkable improvement of the ecological environment in the Loess Plateau has provided more friendly natural conditions for China's economic and social development. "The opportunity is the first in China's long-term policy to deal with climate change, and the opportunity also provides solutions for biodiversity conservation. Zhu Shuifang stressed that from the perspective of biodiversity conservation, China's policy of returning farmland to forest, the strategy of diverting water from the south to the north, and the construction of wildlife nature reserves are all aimed at better coping with the impact of climate change on biodiversity. "Large-scale afforestation or returning farmland to forest and grassland has not only greatly increased China's green area, but also created a lot of reservoirs. Zhu Shuifang explained that due to the increase in precipitation caused by climate warming, the forest coverage rate of the project area that was originally returned to forest has increased significantly. The increase in land greening is also equivalent to saving water resources, further reducing sandstorms, improving the water quality of the Yellow River year by year, and allowing the development of the ecological environment to enter a virtuous cycle, providing more suitable farming conditions for ensuring China's food security, and also providing a broader living space and conditions for wild species. According to the public data of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, after more than 20 years of unremitting efforts, China has completed 40% of the total afforestation area of the national key projects in the same period, and the area of mature forests has exceeded one-third of the national planted forest preservation area in the same period. The forest and grass vegetation in the project area has increased substantially, and the forest coverage rate has increased by more than 4 percentage points on average. According to monitoring, returning farmland to forest and grassland conserves 440 water sources every year0.5 billion cubic meters, 70.9 billion tons, 54 billion tons, 83.7 billion tons and 05.6 billion tons, with a total annual value of 142 trillion yuan, the water source is equivalent to the maximum storage capacity of the Three Gorges Reservoir, and the reduced loss of soil nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter is equivalent to more than 40% of China's annual fertilizer application. "In response to climate change, the conservation of biodiversity not only depends on the development of the project of returning farmland to forest and grassland, but also plays a very important role in the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Zhu Shuifang told reporters that the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is by no means only a solution to the problem of unbalanced water resources in China, but also of great strategic significance to China's ecological and environmental protection and the development of the entire Chinese nation. Zhu Shuifang said that the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the return of farmland to forests and grasslands have improved the precipitation in the north to a certain extent, and also provided a reference for China to improve the climate and ecological environment in the arid areas of northwest China. "For example, the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang has 330,000 square kilometers, and if 10 billion cubic meters of water can be introduced into the desert area, it is very likely to improve its local meteorology, and it is even possible to open up hundreds of millions of acres of arable land. Zhu Shuifang said that if China's total green area can be increased through the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and the forest coverage rate can be increased, the increase in biological species diversity will also be solved. At present, many species have been significantly increased with the improvement of China's ecological environment. "After the 'green line' along the Yellow River moved 300 kilometers westward, more than 100 species were added along the route. Zhu Shuifang further explained. According to the 2023 edition of the Catalogue of Biological Species of China released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 10,027 species and 354 infraspecific units have been added compared with the 2022 edition, and the diversity of biological species in China has been further strengthened. In addition, with the change of regional precipitation brought about by climate change, the South-to-North Water Transfer Project will further improve the geographical survival conditions of species. Zhu Shuifang mentioned that due to the serious soil erosion and poor soil and water conditions in the northwest region, rainfall can easily lead to secondary disasters such as landslides and mudslides. After the South-to-North Water Diversion Project improves the utilization of local water resources, coupled with climate warming and the implementation of our large-scale project of returning farmland to forest and grassland, this kind of problem will be significantly improved. "Although this is a slow process, as the greenery in the mountains becomes apparent, these types of disasters will naturally decrease a lot. Zhu Shuifang told reporters that even if endangered species such as Tibetan antelopes are no longer protected by human intervention, the improvement of water and soil resources will naturally lead to the improvement of their living environment. "Policies play a key role in addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and managing the environment. Zhu Shuifang said that the general secretary's "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" is an important idea to ensure the sustainable development of China's ecological environment. If we look back at the evolution of China's history, we will find that one of the most important factors in the transformation of the ancient capital city was the uncontrolled deforestation of the originally habitable area. The degradation of grass and trees has affected agriculture and animal husbandry to varying degreesSoil erosion can also make the weather even worse, eventually making it impossible for humans to settle. The concept of big food and big agriculture is to solve our food problem and survival problem from the perspective of the entire national territory. The establishment of natural ecological reserves in China is also another way to deal with climate change. Zhu Shuifang mentioned that the establishment of nature reserves to protect biodiversity is more about preserving the genes of organisms and ensuring the sustainable existence of species resources. By the end of 2021, there were 474 national nature reserves in China, with a further increase in biodiversity and a further enhancement of China's ecological security barrier. From the perspective of national strategy, Zhu Shuifang feels that we still have a lot of work to do in the face of ecological and environmental protection. It is not only necessary to protect the diversity of biological species, but also to protect the living environment of human beings, and to provide a better living space for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation." *People's Political Consultative Conference Daily (03 edition of December 19, 2023).
Reporter: Zhang Jiaming (Xi) Layout Editor: Wang Huifeng Xin**Editor: Hong Lin Review: Zhou Jiajia