Source:China Mining News Reprinted from: China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources   http://www.cgs.gov.cn/xwl/cgkx/201911/t20191126_498279.html

Global karst covers 22 million square kilometers and is widely distributed in more than 130 countries. One third of China's land area is karst area. The karst area has a unique and beautiful landscape, and the high quality and abundant karst water resources and carbonate oil and gas resources give the karst area a high potential economic value. However, due to its special geological conditions, karst areas are extremely prone to outstanding environmental problems such as rock desertification, karst drought, seawater intrusion, groundwater pollution, and geological disasters such as karst collapse and depression flooding.

The Institute of Karst Geology of China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources conscientiously implements Comrade Xi Jinping's thought of ecological civilization, insists on the harmonious coexistence of human and nature, establishes and practices the concept that green water and green mountains are the silver mountain of gold, and helps the construction of ecological civilization and poverty alleviation in karst areas.

Proactive, service ecological civilization demonstration area construction

Guilin is known as the "diamond in the crown" of karst in southern China, with its clear mountains, beautiful water, caves and rocks. In February 2018, the State Council agreed to build a National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone in Guilin, focusing on sustainable use of landscape resources and technological innovation on ecological restoration and environmental protection in karstic stone desertification areas. The Institute of Karst actively participated in the preparation and demonstration of the demonstration zone, which was fully recognized by the relevant departments of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Institute of Karst and Guilin Municipal Government signed the Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Construction of Innovation Platform for the Protection and Utilization of Karst Landscape Resources and the Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation in Building the National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone in Guilin, fully participating in the construction of Guilin Demonstration Zone. In October 2018, the Institute of Karst held a seminar on geological survey to support the sustainable development of Guilin and presented an atlas of the results of the Guilin geological survey. 2019, the China Geological Survey agreed to arrange four related geological survey projects, and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a national key R&D special project "Li River Basin Landscape Resources In 2019, the CGS agreed to arrange four related geological survey projects and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a national key R&D project "Li River Basin Landscape Resources Sustainable Development Major Technology Research" to support the construction of Guilin demonstration area. At present, the projects are progressing smoothly and have achieved milestone results, providing scientific and technological guarantee for the construction of Guilin National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone.

In 2012, the National Development and Reform Commission approved Guiyang City's plan to build a national model city for ecological civilization. By 2020, Guiyang will be built into a national model city of ecological civilization. The Institute of Karst actively promotes and cooperates with the Guiyang Municipal People's Government to jointly carry out a comprehensive geological survey of multi-factor and multi-disciplinary natural resources in Guiyang to serve the construction of Guiyang as a model city of ecological civilization, and strives to sign the agreement and complete the deployment plan this year.

Play a special role in helping to fight poverty in karst areas

Karst desertification, known as the "cancer of the earth", is one of the most serious ecological problems in the karst areas of southwest China. Since 2001, with the joint support of national and provincial science and technology projects, geological survey projects, and more than 20 research institutes and universities, the Institute of Karst has implemented more than 120 ecological restoration projects in the southwest karst area, with a total investment of about 200 million RMB, and has made significant progress in the basic theory of karst ecological restoration, technology research and development, and industrial demonstration. We have made important progress in the basic theory, technology research and development, industrial demonstration and other aspects of stone desertification ecological restoration, and formed a replicable and replicable model of stone desertification comprehensive management and the key technology system to support the model. In 2019, the Institute of Karst organized comprehensive geological survey, monitoring, evaluation and research on karst ecological restoration in key areas of southern stone desertification, and carried out governance demonstration on typical stone desertification type areas to support services of territorial spatial planning and ecological protection and restoration.

Carry out karst groundwater investigation to solve the problem of water shortage in karst areas. Through the 1:50,000 hydrogeological survey of typical karst basins, more than 400 karst underground rivers have been detected, the technical method system of "investigation-detection-evaluation" of karst groundwater has been established, the conditions of water resources development and utilization in 48 maps of 15 typical karst basins have been identified, more than 600 water-rich sections have been circled, the karst groundwater-rich model and effective development and utilization model have been established. The model of karst groundwater enrichment and effective development and utilization was established, and 107 wells were established, which directly solved the drinking water difficulties of 200,000 people in karst rocky mountain areas with severe water shortage. We have proven 200 water sources such as underground rivers, providing a drinking water source for 3 million people. Searching for high-quality groundwater sources and establishing a new model of karst hydrogeological investigation to alleviate poverty. We discovered a large strontium-rich mineral water field in Xintian County, Hunan Province, with an area of 176.7 square kilometers and a permitted mining capacity of 725.55 cubic meters per year; we introduced Asia Resources Holdings Ltd. and invested 200 million yuan to build a natural mineral water with an annual output of 50,000 tons of strontium-rich water, which is expected to be completed and put into operation this year, with an annual output of 360 million yuan and a profit tax of 40 million yuan. Organize and implement the hydrogeological investigation project in the Pearl River Basin, and actively promote the water search and poverty alleviation in the Wumeng Mountains and the prevention and control of karst collapse geological disasters in the southwest. At present, it has successfully solved the problem of water shortage in Zhaoge County, Sichuan Province, which has been troubled for many years; meanwhile, it has promoted dragon fruit cultivation and carried out pilot ecological industries, which has achieved good results and laid a solid foundation for "geological survey+" to help Zhaoge County to get rid of poverty precisely.

Investigate and evaluate karst landscapes and guide the scientific development and utilization of karst landscape resources. The Institute of Karst investigated and evaluated 627 karst geological sites and more than 3,000 karst caves with development value to reveal the geological mechanism of karst landscape formation. Technical support for three World Natural Heritage Sites in Guangxi Guilin, Chongqing Wulong and Chongqing Nanchuan Jinfo Mountain, and two World Geoparks in Guangxi Leye-Feng Mountain and Guizhou Weaving Cave were approved and named by UNESCO; the investigation and declaration of World Geoparks in Guizhou Xinyi and Hunan Xiangshi are being conducted, which have passed the national evaluation and recommended to UNESCO. Successfully organized the international scientific research work of Hanzhong Sinkhole Group, and found the fossil of Oriental Sabertooth Elephant in the cave for the first time, which provided new scientific evidence for the genesis and evolution of the Sinkhole Group. 2019, the Institute of Karst organized the project team for the investigation of geological relics in the southwest karst area, and is currently building the first geological cultural village in Guangxi and compiling the Guangxi natural resources atlas.

Sustained efforts to support ecological restoration and poverty alleviation in karst areas

The Institute of Karst will continue to be guided by Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, carry out demonstration research on integrated management, systematic restoration and overall protection in rocky desertification areas, implement ecological protection and restoration demonstration projects, comprehensively improve the stability of natural ecosystems and ecological service functions in rocky desertification areas, and effectively support natural resource management, ecological protection and restoration, and territorial spatial planning and management; promote the comprehensive survey of karst geology in Guizhou Province with multiple elements, and prepare the implementation plan of karst geology deployment to serve the construction of Guiyang ecological civilization model city. The company also promotes the comprehensive survey of karst geology in Guizhou Province, prepares the implementation plan of karst geology deployment, and serves the construction of Guiyang ecological civilization demonstration city; strengthens the investigation and evaluation of geological disasters and risk assessment in key karst areas, expands the "geological survey +" characteristic poverty alleviation model, and continues to play its professional advantages to actively promote water poverty alleviation in Wumeng Mountain area; organizes and implements the The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Karst Technical Committee has organized the development of general basic standards in the field of karst, technical standards for investigation and evaluation, and technical standards for sustainable development of karst resources, environmental protection and restoration, as well as disaster prevention and mitigation, so as to promote ecological and environmental protection in global karst areas and provide solutions for poverty eradication, disaster prevention and mitigation, and sustainable development in global karst areas. It also promotes the implementation of the international scientific program "Resource and Environmental Effects of Global Karst Dynamics System", takes the lead in organizing global karst ecological geological investigation and research, builds international comparative monitoring network of karst key zones and global karst ecosystem theory, and supports the sustainable development of natural resources and environment in global karst areas. The research station will carry out long-term and systematic positioning observations and obtain original information and basic data to promote the sustainable development and utilization of karst resources and the sustainable protection of ecological environment, and provide technical support for the construction of ecological civilization and poverty alleviation in karst areas.

(The author is the Director of Institute of Karst Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources)