Building a Sustainable Forest Ecosystem in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River

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Building a Sustainable Forest Ecosystem in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River

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00:03 Located in southwest China,

00:05 Sichuan province is an important forest ecosystem

00:08 and a global biodiversity hotspot.

00:11 Covering half of the upstream area of the Yangtze River basin.

00:16 However,

00:17 the region faces severe ecological challenges.

00:21 Rapid economic growth has put immense pressure on its natural resources,

00:25 leading to forest and biodiversity degradation,

00:29 soil erosion,

00:30 and flash flooding.

00:32 Monocultural forests dominate its abundant forest resources,

00:36 making them vulnerable to pests and diseases.

00:40 To help address these challenges,

00:42 the World Bank approved a $150 million US dollar loan in 2019

00:48 to support the forest ecosystem improvement

00:51 in the upper reaches of Yangtze River basin program.

00:55 The program aimed to establish

00:57 a multifunctional and sustainable forest ecosystem

01:01 that benefits both nature and people.

01:03 The program was implemented in 35 counties in Sichuan province,

01:08 starting in May 2020.

01:10 It incorporated various models to restore forest health,

01:15 including afforestation and reforestation,

01:18 forest tending with supplementary planting,

01:21 rehabilitation of degraded forests,

01:23 and assisted natural regeneration.

01:26 A key focus of the program was to

01:28 cultivate mixed species forests with diverse tree species,

01:33 including rare,

01:34 valuable,

01:35 and indigenous ones,

01:37 to create a high quality forest ecosystem.

01:56 In just a few years,

01:58 the program achieved significant results.

02:01 A total of 130,000 hectares have been afforested,

02:05 and the proportion of mixed species plantation

02:07 forests has increased from 6% to 62%.

02:12 The program has improved the forest management practices,

02:16 diversified farmers' incomes,

02:18 and increased the climate resilience of local communities.

02:22 Community participation has been key to the program's success.

02:27 Local communities were fully involved in

02:29 the preparation and implementation process,

02:32 benefiting equally from program interventions.

02:36 The program provided training

02:57 and employment opportunities to farmers,

03:00 teaching them new forest management practices.

03:04 Yeah,

03:04 to

03:07 me.

03:18 Priority was given to poor families and vulnerable groups,

03:22 with the women making up 52% of

03:24 the program's direct participants and beneficiaries.

03:36 The program also focused on building institutional capacity

03:40 and developing technical and managerial talents at multiple levels.

03:44 The program's concept and models have been replicated in other initiatives,

03:49 like the National Reserve forests program in Sichuan,

03:52 which had leveraged $11.5 billion by December 2023,

03:58 and it was sequestered about 80 times more

04:00 carbon than the World Bank supported program itself.

04:04 The program has also promoted carbon market development in Sichuan,

04:09 with the first forest management carbon trading project

04:11 piloted in Bazhong City in May 2023.

04:16 Supported by the program,

04:17 long term provincial and county forest management plans have been developed.

04:23 And the first provincial forest management technical

04:26 guidelines have been approved and adopted.

04:29 The program has made a substantial contribution

04:32 to global and national public goods.

04:35 It has reduced the carbon emissions

04:37 by 3.1 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent,

04:41 conserved 910 million cubic meters of water,

04:45 and retained 8.1 million tons of soil,

04:49 while improving forest ecosystem functions

04:52 and conserving biodiversity.

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Located in southwest China, Sichuan province is an important forest ecosystem and a global biodiversity hotspot. Covering half of the upstream area of the Yangtze River basin. However, the region faces severe ecological challenges. Rapid economic growth has put immense pressure on its natural resources, leading to forest and biodiversity degradation, soil erosion, and flash flooding. Monocultural forests dominate its abundant forest resources, making them vulnerable to pests and diseases. To help address these challenges, the World Bank approved a $150 million US dollar loan in 2019 to support the forest ecosystem improvement in the upper reaches of Yangtze River basin program. The program aimed to establish a multifunctional and sustainable forest ecosystem that benefits both nature and people. The program was implemented in 35 counties in Sichuan province, starting in May 2020. It incorporated various models to restore forest health, including afforestation and reforestation, forest tending with supplementary planting, rehabilitation of degraded forests, and assisted natural regeneration. A key focus of the program was to cultivate mixed species forests with diverse tree species, including rare, valuable, and indigenous ones, to create a high quality forest ecosystem. In just a few years, the program achieved significant results. A total of 130,000 hectares have been afforested, and the proportion of mixed species plantation forests has increased from 6% to 62%. The program has improved the forest management practices, diversified farmers' incomes, and increased the climate resilience of local communities. Community participation has been key to the program's success. Local communities were fully involved in the preparation and implementation process, benefiting equally from program interventions. The program provided training and employment opportunities to farmers, teaching them new forest management practices. Yeah, to me. Priority was given to poor families and vulnerable groups, with the women making up 52% of the program's direct participants and beneficiaries. The program also focused on building institutional capacity and developing technical and managerial talents at multiple levels. The program's concept and models have been replicated in other initiatives, like the National Reserve forests program in Sichuan, which had leveraged $11.5 billion by December 2023, and it was sequestered about 80 times more carbon than the World Bank supported program itself. The program has also promoted carbon market development in Sichuan, with the first forest management carbon trading project piloted in Bazhong City in May 2023. Supported by the program, long term provincial and county forest management plans have been developed. And the first provincial forest management technical guidelines have been approved and adopted. The program has made a substantial contribution to global and national public goods. It has reduced the carbon emissions by 3.1 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, conserved 910 million cubic meters of water, and retained 8.1 million tons of soil, while improving forest ecosystem functions and conserving biodiversity.

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