Reforestation and environmental protection Xining

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Xining, the provincial capital of Qinghai, is one of the cities with very high economic growth (> 10% p.a.) and strong urbanization. The few existing green spaces are highly fragmented and unevenly distributed across the city. The city's location in a narrow valley exacerbates the problem. The city has a massive problem with air pollution, which is due to the high number of industrial plants and road traffic. In addition, the surrounding mountain slopes are mostly bare, and so there is only an inadequate filtering effect from tree and shrub vegetation. A grazing ban introduced in 2000, the sharp decline in agriculture and the planting of shrubs have led to a large-scale stabilization of the surrounding slopes. Since 1989, the slopes have also been reforested. The measures taken so far have not been efficient in terms of the use of resources (water, energy, labor), have not been able to fully meet the demand, especially for spaces for local recreation and environmental education, and have not taken some important aspects such as ecosystem services into account sufficiently. The aim of the project is therefore to improve urban environmental protection. To this end, slopes facing the city are to be reforested from an ecological and aesthetic point of view and a park for local recreation and environmental education (forest park) is to be created. The reforestation measures will be accompanied by the introduction of an improved irrigation system. This technology transfer is intended to initiate a change in the current inefficient irrigation system. In view of the sharp rise in labor costs in the future, this measure is expected to result in savings for the public sector. In addition, preference is to be given to native species and mixed stands. When setting up the park, city residents will be involved in the planning, for which a basis was created for the first time with the new environmental law of January 2015. This is intended to introduce international standards into Chinese practice. Overall, the project is intended to contribute to improving the quality of life of city residents of all social classes. The total cost of the project is around EUR 28.6 million. EUR 20 million of this is to be financed through an FC subsidy loan. An international implementation consultant will also be financed from the FC subsidy loan.