The 11th Plenary Session of the 11th Anhui Provincial Party Committee laid out the outline for the province's development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It explicitly proposed accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, continuously advancing pollution prevention and ecosystem optimization, speeding up the construction of a new energy system, prudently promoting and achieving carbon peak goals, fostering green production and lifestyles, building Anhui into a model of ecological civilization.

Anhui is determined to build on its momentum, seize opportunities, and strive with unwavering confidence. The province is accelerating efforts to protect and manage major rivers and important lakes, such as the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, Xin'anjiang River, Grand Canal, and Chaohu Lake. It is promoting the regularized and long-term identification and rectification of ecological and environmental issues, coordinating efforts to reduce carbon emissions, pollution, and expand green development and growth, and achieving new breakthroughs in building a region with significant influence in the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development.

Looking back at the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Anhui's ecological and environmental quality steadily improved, with the Ecological Quality Index (EQI) consistently maintained at Category II. Public satisfaction with the ecological environment has remained above 90% for five consecutive years. The average PM2.5 concentration in the province has met the national secondary standard for four consecutive years, while the proportion of days with good air quality has exceeded 80% for four years in a row. The proportion of national monitoring sections with good water quality has surpassed 90% for two consecutive years, and sections with water quality below Grade V have been eliminated for four consecutive years.

Anhui will focus on improving environmental quality as its core goal, fully implementing targeted, science-based, and law-based pollution control. The province will leverage the guiding and optimizing role of ecological and environmental protection to coordinate efforts in reducing carbon emissions, cutting pollution, expanding green spaces, and promoting growth. Adhering to a principle of prioritizing natural restoration while combining it with artificial rehabilitation, Anhui will advance the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. The province will also strengthen regional joint efforts in ecological and environmental protection and governance to preserve the pristine landscapes of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Since 2012, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces have successively carried out three rounds of pilot projects for the ecological compensation mechanism of the Xin'anjiang River, forming the "Xin'anjiang River Model." This model has now been replicated and promoted in 23 provinces and 28 river basins across the country. 

The Jiulongfeng Provincial Nature Reserve is located southwest of the main peak of the Huangshan Mountain range and at the source of the Qingyi River. Covering a total area of 2,720 hectares, it boasts a forest coverage rate of 97.5% and is home to over 40 species of nationally protected animals and 1,295 species of higher plants. Known as the "Gene Bank of Species in East China," the reserve is a vital ecological treasure. Chen Xiaochun, head of the Jiulongfeng Provincial Nature Reserve Management Station, stated that they will strictly enforce relevant laws and regulations for nature reserves, continuously improve the access control and dynamic adjustment mechanisms for the reserve, and accelerate the construction of an intelligent supervision platform. By promoting the application of new technologies such as remote sensing monitoring, drone inspections, and artificial intelligence identification, they aim to enhance modern scientific research and monitoring capabilities. Additionally, they will actively cultivate green industries such as ecological agricultural products, nature-based study tours, and forest wellness, fostering synergy between ecological protection and community development.

Source: Anhui Daily