Sanming City, a major collective forest area in east China's Fujian Province, is stepping up its efforts to reform the collective forest tenure system to promote green development and increase local farmers' incomes.
By 2025, China aims to form a collective forest tenure system with clear ownership, unified responsibilities and rights, strict protection, orderly circulation and effective supervision, according to a government plan issued last year.
As early as 2021, Sanming issued China's first forest carbon credit stamp to the village committee of Changkou Village, in a move to use market mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions.
Forest carbon credits are permits for companies to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. They are converted from added forest areas and the amount of carbon they can capture. Farmers who own forests areas can have these credits, and they can sell them to companies that need to offset their carbon emissions. Essentially, companies buy these credits as an investment in forestry to balance out their own carbon footprint.
"During large events, various forms of transportation and energy use lead to carbon emissions. To offset this, companies purchase forest carbon credit stamps to achieve carbon neutrality," said Wu Hui, deputy director of the municipal Forestry Bureau of Sanming.
The first forest carbon credit stamp was sold for 140,000 yuan (19,544 U.S. dollars), and each villager received a share of the profit. So far, Sanming has launched 49 forestry carbon credit projects, offsetting 1.12 million tons of carbon.
In addition, trading these ecological products has turned good environmental practices into real income, further encouraging more people in Sanming to plant and protect forests.
"After years of protecting our environment, we're now starting to see the financial rewards. We all feel that we should keep taking care of our ecosystem, and make our efforts more rewarding," said Zhang Linshun, a local official.
At the rural property-rights exchange center in Fujian's Shaxian County, online auctions are held for forest rights and carbon credits. Earlier this year, the 20-year management rights for a 1,035-acre bamboo forest in Heshan Village started bidding at 600,000 yuan (83,761 U.S. dollars) and were sold for 1.03 million yuan (143,790 U.S. dollars).
"Over 99 percent of these transactions are now conducted through online auctions. The market and investors determine the value of these assets. This is very different from traditional village transactions. As the market grows, both buyers and sellers will see greater increases in asset value and sale prices," said Wang Zhongyuan, deputy general manager of the center.
As of August 8 this year, the exchange center has completed 3,091 transactions, with a value of 2.11 billion yuan (about 294.6 million U.S. dollars).
Sanming City in Fujian upgrades collective forest tenure system
Residents at a temporary shelter in South Korea are coming to terms with the shock of losing their homes in the worst wildfires in the country's history, with the deadly blazes which have been burning since late last month forcing tens of thousands of people to be evacuated.
The devastating fires -- which first erupted back on March 21 -- have claimed the lives of at least 30 people and injured dozens of others, while more than 3,500 houses and 30 national heritage sites have been damaged.
The flames have so far spread across more than 48,000 hectares of land, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
Shell-shocked local people have been sharing the horrifying stories of how they became overwhelmed by the fast-spreading flames and had to rush from their homes.
Jo Soo-gap, a resident of the Yeongdeok County in the severely affected North Gyeongsang Province, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) of the moment the flames approached.
"We didn't think it would come all the way to our area. That evening, while we were at home, the wind picked up. It felt stronger than a typhoon. I thought it was getting dangerous, so l was preparing to leave with my wife. Then suddenly a neighbor shouted, 'The fire's coming! Get out now!' So we just got in the car and drove toward Pohang,” he recalled.
"When we finally returned at dawn, we found our house had completely burned down and collapsed. Other homes, even if they were mostly destroyed, still had some parts of the frame left. But ours was a two-story villa-style home, and it had completely caved in – flattened right down to its foundation. There was nothing for us left to retrieve,” lamented Jo.
He expressed the hope that the government would help him and his family, as well as the many others affected, to rebuild their homes, while issuing a clear warning to others about the dangers posed by wildfires.
"We hope recovery efforts can proceed quickly, and that the government or local authorities can provide permanent housing so we can rebuild our lives. Fire prevention is no small matter, people should never carry any flammable objects when going into the mountains or fields. I want to emphasize this very clearly," he said.
Meanwhile, Kim Woo-seok, chairman of the Pohang Medical Association, explained how medics are handling the various problems brought by the wildfires, with a particular focus being placed on the welfare of those suffering from chronic diseases.
"The most pressing concern for us is people with chronic illnesses, such as those with high blood pressure or diabetes who need to constantly take their medication. Some patients did not have time to grab their medicines during the evacuation, and the drug withdrawal can cause sudden spikes in their blood pressure or blood sugar levels. So it's crucial that we monitor and stabilize their conditions as quickly as possible,” he said.
Kim stressed that the psychological trauma brought by the wildfires is the most pressing issue, as people slowly come to terms with the significant losses they have suffered.
"However, the biggest emotional shock comes from losing one's home or seeing a loved one fall ill. Those situations can cause severe emotional trauma. People can develop symptoms like panic attacks or depression as a result. These issues require proper counseling and treatment, as the emotional stress can also cause physical symptoms, such as back pain or joint pain. Those are the common cases we see," he said.
Shell-shocked South Korean evacuees lament loss of homes in deadly wildfires
