Forest coverage in Shenzhen will exceed 40.92 percent and over 50 percent of the city’s land will be covered with green plants by 2020, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.
The city government has attached equal importance to urban development and environmental protection, and has been devoted to cultivating a healthy ecological environment.
Some 1.06 billion yuan (US$157.70 million) has been allocated for forest management projects. Some 8,824 hectares of land have been turned into forests and six green lanes were built, according to the Daily.
Currently, Shenzhen has four nature reserves, one of which is at the national level, with a total area of 22,000 hectares. Residents in the city now gain access to a community park within 500 meters, a city park within 2 kilometers and a forest country park within 5 kilometers, according to the report.
The city has received a range of environment-related awards, including the titles of national and international garden city, as well as the China Human Settlement and Environment Award.
The city has made innovative attempts in tackling the imbalance between limited land resources and demand for ecological construction. For example, the city proposed adding plants to newly built public facilities, such as flyovers, buildings and overpasses. According to the report, Shenzhen’s vertical greening projects reached 660,000 square meters in the past two years.
The city is focused on involving residents in environmental protection. Shenzhen has the first nature school in the country. Each year, around 800 activities are held across the city to provide nature education to the public.
The city will build 15 nature schools and 200 science bases by 2020 to form a nature education system.