2004 National Forestry Key Ecological Engineering Socio-economic Benefit Monitoring Report

Author: National Social Benefit Monitoring and Reporting Center for Key Forestry Projects
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: On January 11, 2005, the National Forestry Administration's Science and Technology Committee organized an expert symposium in Beijing to discuss the "Monitoring Report on the Social and Economic Benefits of Key Ecological Forestry Projects" (hereinafter referred to as the "Monitoring Report"). The meeting was chaired by Jiang Zehui, Member of the Party Group of the National Forestry Administration, Vice Chairman of the National Forestry Administration's Science and Technology Committee, and President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry. A total of 18 experts and leaders from scientific research, teaching, professional monitoring, and survey units, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, the Rural Survey Team of the National Bureau of Statistics, and the Fixed Observation Point Office of the Ministry of Agriculture under the Central Policy Research Office, as well as relevant departments and units of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Forestry Administration, attended the meeting.
The attending experts listened to a report from the National Social Benefit Monitoring and Reporting Center for Key Forestry Projects on the main conclusions and policy recommendations of the social and economic benefits monitoring for three key ecological forestry projects: the Natural Forest Protection Program, the Grain for Green Program, and the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Program. Based on a detailed review of the "Monitoring Report," after careful discussion and deliberation, the following opinions were formed:
1. The six major forestry projects are a significant adjustment of the forestry production capacity layout and a carrier for leapfrog development in forestry. Promoting forestry construction through project-based methods is a successful experience for China to accelerate ecological construction and forestry development. Accurately grasping the progress of the projects, promptly identifying new situations and issues that arise during implementation, and adjusting relevant policies in a timely manner are crucial for ensuring the projects are implemented smoothly according to their predetermined goals. Conducting monitoring and reporting work is a major measure to fully implement the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Accelerating Forestry Development" and a concrete action to establish and implement the scientific outlook on development. It is of great significance for promoting the sustainable, rapid, and healthy coordinated development of forestry.
2. The "Monitoring Report" focuses on the social, economic, and ecological benefits generated by the implementation of China's three major ecological forestry projects. It designs an indicator system that reflects the characteristics and impacts of different projects and scientifically and reasonably samples from 22 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) across the country, establishing a preliminary basic database. Based on this, it conducts objective analyses on aspects such as project implementation, policy implementation, socio-economic development, and ecological condition improvement, and the resulting data and analysis results are credible. At the same time, it tracks the development trends of the projects and strengthens the early warning and forecasting work on the implementation of key forestry projects. It also attempts to establish a monitoring and evaluation system for the social and economic benefits of key forestry projects, filling the gap in China's monitoring and evaluation of the social and economic benefits of forestry ecological construction.
3. The "Monitoring Report" has a clear line of thought, clear objectives, highlights key points, and is objective and fair. The monitoring revolves around the goals set in the project implementation plans and analyzes the 870,000 collected data points from both macro and micro perspectives using scientific methods. The preliminary monitoring conclusions include: First, the timber suspension and production reduction in the Natural Forest Protection Program areas have been implemented, forest resource management tasks have been fully carried out, and most of the surplus workers determined by the planning scheme have been transferred and resettled. The industrial structure has tended to optimize, but the reform system lags behind, and there are still a large number of unplanned personnel waiting to be resettled. The economic operation of enterprises is still facing difficulties. Second, the ecological forest proportion in the Grain for Green Program exceeds 80%, and the returned farmland mainly consists of steep slopes and desertified farmland. The distribution of funds and grain has generally run smoothly, and farmers have high enthusiasm for returning farmland. The implementation of the project has little impact on grain production, but in some areas, due to insufficient follow-up industrial development and supporting measures, there is a possibility of re-cultivation after the subsidy period expires. Third, in the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Program areas, the production and lifestyle of farmers and herdsmen have undergone positive changes, forest and grassland coverage has increased, and the trend of land desertification has been preliminarily reversed. However, the task of governance remains heavy.