Forest and water resources in Shanghai will be better combined to create a green metropolitan with 30 percent of its territory covered by trees by the year 2020, according to an industry meeting yesterday.
The meeting, organized by the State Forestry Administration and with focus on the strategic researches about the sustainable development in the forestry sector in China, was attended by many senior officials from the central government and the local government, as well as some senior scholars from the state-level scientific research centers.
The idea of creating a green metropolis was put forward yesterday by a scientist with the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
Peng Zhenhua, the professor and also leading scientist with the academy, proposed that an integrated ecological system comprising well-designed water and tree network will build a city into a real green metropolitan, which will possibly fuel and guarantee the sustainable development of modern cities.
Yang Xiong, vice mayor of the city, delivered a speech in favor of Peng's idea. He called on local forestry administration to do their bits to reach the goal of covering 30 percent of the city with greenery by the year 2020.
(Eastday.com July 17, 2003)
