(ECNS) -- China has restored more than 70% of damaged ecosystems on its first 33 pilot islands and made progress on infrastructure and green industry under an initiative to promote sustainable development, the Ministry of Natural Resources said Wednesday.
After three years, the islands have strengthened their ecological safeguards, improved living conditions, made initial progress in developing green industries and enhanced their capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation, according to a progress report released by the ministry's Island Research Center at the ongoing China-Island Countries Ocean Cooperation Forum in Fujian province.
On half of the designated islands, clean energy accounts for more than 60% of total energy consumption. Thirty islands have achieved safe drinking water coverage of more than 90%, while more than 30 national- and provincial-level marine ranching demonstration zones have been established, the report said.
The Ministry of Natural Resources launched the initiative in 2022 to promote the protection and sustainable development of islands. The first group of 33 islands was selected in 2023, said Li Wenjun, deputy director of the ministry's Division of Marine Areas and Islands Management.
On Dongyu Island in Qionghai, Hainan province, local authorities have integrated 57 low-carbon technologies across eight areas, including renewable energy use, green building upgrades and transport electrification. The island has achieved a balance between renewable energy generation and consumption.
The pilot islands have also worked to address infrastructure gaps, improve water and power supplies, communications and transport, and upgrade public services and community governance, Li said.
The islands have also adopted approaches tailored to local conditions to upgrade traditional fisheries and develop green industries. The marine ranching zones feature environmentally friendly aquaculture models such as integrated shellfish and seaweed farming, multi-layer polyculture and smart deep-water cages in offshore areas, the report said.
These efforts aim to balance ecological protection with more efficient production, the report said. Promoting green development based on local conditions is a key focus of the initiative, Li said.
The islands have also stepped up efforts to prevent and mitigate disasters, investing in geological hazard surveys and remediation projects. These include reinforcing ports and docks, removing hazardous dikes, building and upgrading ecological seawalls and carrying out emergency work to stabilize landslide-prone slopes, the report said.
(By Zhang Dongfang)
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