Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- On Feb. 23, Xinhua Daily Telegraph published a commentary entitled "Ecological Restoration Must Not 'Do Bad Things with Good Intentions'".
According to ** reports, an ecological restoration project in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, with an investment budget of more than 1.8 billion yuan, was recently stopped by the court due to the risk of ecological damage, which attracted widespread attention. The judgment is a major step forward in the adjudication of environmental infringement cases and environmental public interest civil cases, and at the same time it is a wake-up call for ecological restoration projects in various places: "Good intentions do bad things".
In recent years, the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has become increasingly popular among the people, and various localities have strengthened the protection of the natural ecological environment. In this case, the tidal flats near the project site are the feeding and resting grounds of migratory waterbirds, and at least 5 species of wild animals under national first-class protection, 7 species of wild animals under national second-class protection, and 15 species of globally threatened or near-threatened species will come here to forage for food during their migration. It is impossible to overstate the importance of such an important ecological region.
Judging from the details of the case, the defendant who implemented the project has always emphasized that this is an ecological restoration project. According to the verdict, the project's efforts to create habitats for waterbirds are indeed creating habitats for waterbirds by planting vegetation on the shore, clearing alien species, and buying artificial fish ponds from fishermen. But, as environmental groups have put it, the project is equivalent to transforming a natural "canteen" that is rare for waterfowl into a "bedroom" that is not scarce. This has led to a reduction in the feeding grounds of waterbirds, which is in fact detrimental to the development of various flocks.
This reminds us that the implementation of ecological restoration projects should not be "deviated", let alone taken for granted. The consequence of "doing bad things with good intentions" is often that old ecological accounts are not paid and new ones are added, which not only wastes a lot of money, but also makes it difficult to achieve the original intention of ecological restoration, and the result is bound to be regrettable.
Even if the intentions are good, don't rush them. Ecological restoration must respect science and ecological laws. This case reminds localities that ecological restoration projects cannot be easily equated with "inspection-free products" and that standards and requirements cannot be relaxed. Good intentions don't necessarily mean good things. Before the implementation of the project, the relevant departments need to fully listen to the opinions of all parties, think more empathetically, carefully verify and publicize it to ensure that the project is scientific and feasible. At the same time, it is also necessary to make efforts to improve environmental assessment standards and standardize the behavior of environmental impact assessment organizations, so as to avoid drawing wrong conclusions and biased decision-making due to evidence problems.