According to a September 29 announcement from the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Bureau, the "Guangdong Province Forestry Development '15th Five-Year Plan'" (referred to as the "Plan") was recently issued.
The "Plan" proposes that by 2030, the ecological construction achievements of Green and Beautiful Guangdong will be fully demonstrated, the province's green foundation will continue to thicken, forest coverage will remain stable, forest stock volume will reach 765 million cubic meters, the proportion of mixed forests will increase to 55%, and the total output value of the forestry industry will reach 1.3 trillion yuan.
Centered on this goal and vision, the "Plan" deploys eight key tasks. First, establish an ecological protection and restoration system, continue to promote precise improvement of forest quality, strengthen the protection and restoration of wetlands and mangroves, and build ecologically livable green and beautiful urban and rural areas. Second, improve the nature reserve system, fully advance the establishment of Nanling National Park and the creation of Danxiashan National Park, and enhance the management and protection level of nature reserves. Third, build a wildlife protection system, create a Guangdong botanical garden system led by the South China National Botanical Garden and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong National Botanical Garden (under creation), and strengthen the protection of rare and endangered wild animals and plants. Fourth, construct a modern forestry industry system, promote the integrated development of wood and bamboo materials, camellia oil, under-forest economy, flowers and seedlings, and forest culture and tourism, build the "Yuelin+" public brand, broaden channels for realizing the value of ecological products, and explore pathways for converting "forest tickets" and "carbon tickets." Fifth, improve the modern forestry governance system, strengthen the protection and management of forest resources, reinforce forest fire prevention and pest control, solidify the five-level forest chief system, and shore up shortcomings in forest area infrastructure. Sixth, deepen the reform of the collective forest rights system, advance the construction of modern state-owned forest farms, and optimize forestry factor guarantees. Seventh, strengthen the leadership of scientific and technological innovation, vigorously develop new quality productive forces, build "digital and intelligent forestry," and improve the forestry standards system. Eighth, carry forward the glorious tradition of Yueshan afforestation, cultivate the ecological culture of southern Guangdong, promote afforestation and greenery protection actions for all people, and enhance the supply capacity of nature education.
The "Plan" connects with Guangdong Province's territorial space ecological restoration and ecological security pattern, and plans a forestry development layout of "one zone, three screens, five domains," with a high-quality green and beautiful bay area as a model zone for high-quality forestry development; builds three major ecological barriers: Nanling, the Bay Area periphery, and the coastal area; and focuses on the five major river basins of the Xijiang, Dongjiang, Beijiang, Hanjiang, and Jianjiang rivers to coordinate ecological protection and restoration with the synergistic development of the forestry industry, shaping a forestry development spatial pattern that connects mountains and reaches the sea and coordinates across the entire region.
The "Plan" proposes that Guangdong should coordinate and plan 50 forestry-related reserve projects, including 26 implementation-type projects and 24 planning-type projects, covering five major categories: national land greening, resource management and protection, nature reserves and wetlands, forestry industry, and support and guarantees, including four landmark projects: the Greater Bay Area Inner Bay Green Belt, Guangdong Botanical Garden, the Pearl River Delta Grand Beautiful Wetland, and national park construction, transforming the planned blueprint into a batch of concrete engineering projects that can be implemented and put into action, with project construction driving the implementation of various tasks.