Climate is the key supporting element for the operation and development of the earth's ecosystem, and it builds a basic environment for the survival and development of the earth's organisms. However, since the Industrial Revolution, the overexploitation of nature in human production and life has led to the current rate of climate change faster than the ability of animals to adapt. In this regard, Zhou Jinfeng, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Association (hereinafter referred to as the Green Society), proposed the "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation (BCON)" project to solve the problems caused by humans with humanistic solutions.
Photo by Ning Ying.
"Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" was selected as one of the top 50 solutions in the world.
With the aim of promoting multilateral cooperation to address global challenges, this year's sixth Paris Peace Forum presented a series of important global governance projects to the world under the theme "Protecting the Tree of Life: A Joint Climate and Biodiversity Agenda". According to the organizers of the Forum, these projects provide concrete solutions to global challenges and provide tailored support to these projects through close collaboration with policymakers, practitioners and funders. This year, the "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" project, which aims to preserve and protect biodiversity, the "Youth Sahara Climate Action" project, which aims to combat climate change, and the "Amazon allies", which aims to protect the Amazon rainforest, proposed and advocated by the Peruvian Environmental Law Society, were selected as the top 50 solutions in the world by this year's Paris Peace Forum. Among them, "neighborhood biodiversity conservation" is also one of the seven solutions in the field of biodiversity.
Since its launch in 2018, the Paris Peace Forum has showcased more than 460 projects, with ten projects receiving dedicated support each year through the Forum's scale-up program. These projects are known for their international and multi-stakeholder nature, with the ability to spark lasting change in global governance. Although these projects are the responsibility of different countries and organizations, they work together to address one of the most pressing challenges facing the globe – the preservation and protection of the planet's ecosystems and biodiversity.
The concept of "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" was first proposed by Zhou Jinfeng in 2021 to improve the rapid loss of biodiversity through human-centered solutions. As an innovative measure for biodiversity conservation in the era of ecological civilization, "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" is an innovative solution for "people's full participation in biodiversity conservation", which makes a positive contribution to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by reducing the biodiversity footprint and carrying out nature conservation in people's daily production and life. Admittedly, this is not the first time that "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" has been well received and recognized internationally. Previously, at the 62nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands, the concept was highly appreciated by the Secretary-General of the Convention on Wetlands, Ms. Mumba.
What is Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation?What makes it different?According to Zhou, traditional biodiversity conservation is mainly carried out in deep mountains, natural wilderness and nature reserves, and this kind of land-drawing conservation is important, but efforts are far from enough to reverse the global trend of rapid biodiversity loss. Protecting biodiversity requires innovative thinking. Due to the expansion of human life, it is of great significance to study how to effectively carry out biodiversity conservation in population gathering areas. "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" advocates that within the scope of people's daily life, under the condition that nature cannot be completely protected, try to help wildlife survive and develop by reducing the intrusion and disturbance of wild animals, and promote the effective conservation of biodiversity in areas with intensive human activities, taking into account conservation and development, and coordinating sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation.
In addition to areas with high levels of human activity, "neighborhood biodiversity conservation" can also play a role in agriculture. In the practice of agricultural production, "neighborhood biodiversity conservation" can be achieved in many forms, which can be reflected in the growth of wild grasses and the dance with the grass, or the simplification of production mode, and can also be reflected in the reduction of the use of plastic mulch, the maintenance of soil ventilation, the promotion of soil health, and the harvest of healthy food through soil biodiversity. In the "Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation" model of "Dancing with Grass", farmers in Shandong Province have shown that wild grasses can provide shade, moisturizing and cooling effects for farmland, and provide habitat for natural enemies of pests, thereby reducing the damage of pests to crops.
The use of natural enemies in nature to control pests, rather than relying on chemical pesticides, is also a form of neighborhood biodiversity conservation in agricultural production. In the Chengdu Nature Workshop, a neighborhood biodiversity test site, pests and beneficial insects are in a low-density balance, and the effect is better than that of pesticides without the use of pesticides. Wang Yanjing, the Green Society's Neighborhood Biodiversity Conservation Working Group, said, "In Chengdu, Sichuan, which has superior natural conditions and a warm climate, insect infestation is very light, which is conducive to the development of planting diversity and has also formed a rich biodiversity. The abundant weeds provide habitat for a variety of insects, and there are enough energy plants to provide the conditions for these insects to breed, and the biodiversity here is maximized. ”
As of November 2023, the Green Society has established 203 Community Protected Areas (CCAFAs) to carry out biodiversity conservation in neighborhoods, including the Chinese Black Stork Protected Area in Pingshan, the Changheng Bustard Protected Area in Henan, and the Tumuji Great Bustard Protected Area in Inner Mongolia.
Solving human problems with human-centered solutions.
Development and the protection of nature are contradictory, but they are not irreconcilable. In the era of industrial civilization, the construction of the airport has expanded rapidly, in order to prevent the collision of aircraft and birds, and ensure flight safety, the airport is equipped with bird repellent devices. However, in the era of ecological civilization, we need to think about ensuring the safety of aircraft and protecting bird species. Zhou Jinfeng said that in this regard, the practice of the State Grid is worth recommending: the previous line setting did not take biodiversity into account, and many birds died directly on the power lines. Nowadays, the State Grid seeks to change and proposes a plan of "protecting the line and loving birds", which not only ensures the safety of the line, but also allows bird species, especially endangered species, to be effectively protected. For example, artificial nests are built for birds, and baffles are set up to prevent transmission lines from tripping caused by sagging nest branches and bird droppings, so as to ensure the safety of birds' nesting and reproduction and transmission lines to the greatest extent.
It is precisely because human beings are the best of all ecological problems that the only solution to the problem is human beings themselves. Zhou Jinfeng said, "When I studied in the United States in the 80s, I didn't use the sweaters and autumn clothes I brought with me, because in the laboratory, classroom, and office, the temperature was 20 days and nights or all seasons, and the temperature change could only be felt when I was outside. However, in the evolution of nature, the human body has undergone temperature changes, and continuous constant temperature not only consumes a lot of energy, but also is not healthy for the human body, which requires everyone to change their production and lifestyle. For example, at a garbage disposal point recently, because the task of kitchen waste collection was not completed, new cabbage was bought and minced as kitchen waste. We should all change, put an end to a series of stereotypical behaviors of industrial civilization, and only when everyone changes can the problem be truly solved. ”
Since everyone needs to make changes, it is necessary to make people aware of the problems and build awareness of the protection of ecological civilization. Zhou Jinfeng is proud of the public's outreach, and he bluntly said that the Chinese public is in a leading position in terms of understanding and participation in the level of understanding and participation of 100 random passers-by in China and Western countries on biodiversity and carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. "As a developing country, there is still room for further progress in China's ecological protection and green development, but it is undeniable that we have made good achievements in leading the world's ecological civilization construction and leading the innovative conservation of biodiversity. ”
At the same time, Zhou Jinfeng pointed out, "Although our commitment to the 'dual carbon' issue is a little later than that of some developed countries, in terms of products and contributions, our progress is very fast, and our independent commitment far exceeds the requirements of the international community and the goals that we can achieve as a developing country." Under the limited land area and economic conditions, and when almost all of our survival and development require financial support, our contributions, achievements, practices and innovations in the field of biodiversity conservation have been internationally recognized and protected with the participation of the people. ”
*: "Well-off", China's well-off network.
Author: Yuan Shuai.
Editor: Liu Yanhua.
Review: Gong Zimo.