Experts including Cao Wenxuan and Wu Qingjiang from CAS, as well as Weng Lida, former head of the Yangtze River Water Resource Protection Commission have all voiced doubts over the project. Weng Lida argued that the first readjustment was like “cutting off the head” of the reserve, while the new readjustment was like “cutting off its feet.”
However, in November 2010, word came from the MEP that the proposed readjustment to the Yangtze River Rare Fish Reserve had gained the consent of the expert team, and would be sent to the State Council for final approval.
“The experts on the evaluation team faced great pressure from various sides. They gave in and reluctantly gave their approval for the final proposal,” said Fan Xiao. He also disclosed how Cao Wenxuan, vocal advocate for the protection of the fish reserve, was one of the leading experts in the team.
The phenomena whereby national reserves make way for large-scale infrastructure or hydroelectricity projects (see NewsChina Volume 041 p57) are a common occurrence.
In the hydropower industry boom, numerous terraced hydropower stations have been built on the rivers, particularly in the country’s west, segmenting the rivers into a series of terraces. Power stations have even sprung up along the tributaries of the Yangtze, in places such as the Minjiang and Chishui rivers.
Leverage
The motive behind the development of the Xiaonanhai hydropower project is apparently clear: with an estimated price tag of 37 billion yuan (US5.6bn), the Xiaonanhai project is one of the largest projects to be built inside of the Chongqing Municipality since the announcement of the 11th Five-Year Plan in 2006. Apart from drawing massive investment, the project would guarantee power for local industry, and in turn help boost local economy and tax revenues.
Supporters of the project including members of the hydropower development sector and officials of the Chongqing government claim that measures would be taken during the construction of the Xiaonanhai project to help protect against damage to fish species, including artificial breeding and the creation of tunnels to assist fish navigate the area. However, scientist Wu Qingjiang has moved to refute these measures. “The research and development of these types of measures has yet to be fully developed,” he said.
“The prerequisite for artificial fish breeding is the genetic diversity of fish species,” explained Wu.
“The Chongqing Municipality has tried hard to push forward the project,” said Fan Xiao. “But no effective remedial measures have been worked out to cope with the situation once the damage is done. If the rare fish reserve readjustment and the construction of the dam get the green light to go ahead, it would mean the devastation of the aquatic ecosystems of the Yangtze River once and for all.”
Yet to be Finalized
To curb carbon emissions, China has made hydro electricity its top choice for cheap clean energy. To fulfill its green energy target of 15 percent of total energy by 2020, China plans to further raise its hydropower capacity from 300 GW to 350 GW by 2020 from the 200 GW by 2010.
“Construction of hydro projects has been suspended nationwide during the past few years. Now, in order to meet the 15 percent clean energy goal by 2020, we have to build a large-scale hydropower station every five or six years. We really have a tight schedule,” Xiong Minfeng, director of the Hydropower Division of the National Energy Administration, told NewsChina. “Yet we still need to take environmental protection into full account, though, in doing so, it takes time to get the approval for each project.”
Friends of Nature, a Chinese environmental protection NGO, told NewsChina that so far the MEP hasn’t given any detailed information on the approval procedure regarding the proposal for readjustment of the boundary of the rare fish reserve, despite the organization’s repeated inquiries about relevant information.
In responding to the inquiry of NewsChina, a staff member at the Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission said the municipality’s Yangtze River development plan had been conceived years before, and everything concerning the Xiaonanhai hydropower plant was still under research and analysis, stopping short of revealing any details.
“The readjustment is to be made on the peripheral part of the fish reserve and would have limited impact on the aquatic life,” Bai Chengshou, director of nature reserve management at the MEP said during an interview with NewsChina. “We will take public opinion into full consideration, but the final decision lies with the State Council.”
“There is no timetable for the approval or disapproval of the project by the State Council,” said Bai Chengshou. The MEP approved the proposed readjustment for the fish conservation zone following the required procedure issued by the State Council. But the construction of the Xiaonanhai hydropower plant still needs further research and environmental evaluation. “From our perspective, the shrinking of reserve zones should be discouraged. But the boundary of a reserve zone, though reasonable, still needs to be balanced with local people’s living standard, as well as the local economy.”
“Plans for regional economic development and energy resources have other alternatives and are not irreplaceable. But the living environment for fish and other animals in the natural reserve is irreplaceable,” said Fan Xiao.