Forest in Shizhu County, Chongqing

By Keqiao Cheng, EDITOR
Chongqing - On January 20, an agreement to invest RMB 19 billion and raise RMB 15 billion to build a national reserve forest base was signed. The signing parties included China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), Chongqing Municipal People’s Government and China Development Bank (CDB).

Supports in multiple aspects

By agreement, NFGA and CDB will provide support for Chongqing in multiple aspects.

For one thing, they actively explore the establishment of a market-based compensation mechanism with diversified forest ecological values. For another, they support to innovate the forestry investment and financing mechanisms and financial products and service. That further expands investment and financing channels for forestry construction.

Moreover, they support the reform and development of state-owned farms. Also, they will strive to strengthen the protection and building of national parks, forest parks, and wetland parks.

Finally, the two parties support to develop the forestry industry and implement forestry ecological poverty alleviation projects. Thus, it will promote ecological development in the Yangtze River Economic Zone and ecological protection in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

330,000-hectare national reserve forest base

The national reserve forest base project is mapped in 30 districts and counties in Chongqing. Moreover, it will cover about 330,000 hectares of land. The forest-based economy including planting industry and forest multifunctional management according to local conditions will be developed. In addition, there will be more supporting facilities such as timber storing, processing and trading.

It will take 8 years to complete the project. The plan will involve districts and counties such as Nanchuan, Liangping, Chengkou, Fengjie and Shizhu in 2019.

Source: XinhuaNet