Hechi promotes ecological protection

Hechi has taken multiple measures to promote ecological civilization construction, with a focus on developing its oil-tea industry.

Located in one of the most severe rocky desertification areas in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Hechi faces the challenge of balancing ecological conservation efforts with improving people's income. In response, the city has tailored its approach and focused on developing industries such as oil-tea and flower seedlings.

The oil-tea industry, with a long history in Hechi, is a traditional sector that enjoys supportive policies from the local authorities. These policies have promoted the industry's high-quality growth. By the end of 2022, the city's oil-tea camellia plantation area had reached 1.85 million mu (123 hectares), with an annual output of 110,900 metric tons of oil-tea seeds, ranking second in the region.

In addition to planting economic forests, the city has also initiated a demonstration project for land greening. With an investment of 300 million yuan ($41.7 million), comprehensive measures have been taken to control water and soil erosion. Other measures have been implemented to combat severe rocky desertification in a 136,900-mu land area.

Since the beginning of this year, Hechi has made significant efforts in afforestation. By the end of June, 327,200 mu of its forests had been afforested. The city's forest coverage rate has now reached 71.57 percent, marking a 0.03 percent increase over the previous year and maintaining a leading position in the region. The greening coverage rate in villages has reached 48.11 percent, ranking first in the region for the sixth consecutive year.

During the first half of this year, Hechi has also made remarkable progress in developing the economy through the use of forest resources. Approximately 1.1 million mu of land was utilized for forest-based economic activities, generating an output value of 6.07 billion yuan. This accounts for 60.68 percent of the city's annual target of 10 billion yuan.

The Shouyuan Oil-Tea Industry Core Demonstration Zone in Fengshan county. [Photo/Hechi Daily]