徐榮鋒 貴州日報記者
今天,黃果樹瀑布申請世界遺產(chǎn)名錄的工作正在有條不紊地推進(jìn)。但鮮有人知的是,早在 25年前,它就曾經(jīng)提出過申請,但在最后一刻卻主動撤回。
1992年6月,盧卡斯和桑切爾兩位專家對黃果樹的資源、環(huán)境進(jìn)行了考察??疾旖Y(jié)束,盧卡斯在臨上飛機(jī)前說:“黃果樹的風(fēng)景資源在亞洲是最有影響的。”在場的人無不歡欣鼓舞,認(rèn)為黃果樹勝券在握。但讓人始料不及的是,專家在離開貴州后卻提出“暫緩提交”的建議,理由是,人工痕跡太重,生態(tài)環(huán)境太差。
按照“世界遺產(chǎn)”申報規(guī)定,一處景區(qū)只能申報一次,若被否決,便永遠(yuǎn)不能再申報。因此,在聯(lián)合國教科文組織召開會議討論表決前,國家建設(shè)部明智地將黃果樹景區(qū)的申報材料撤回。
事后有專家總結(jié),黃果樹落選原因有四:一是半邊街村寨人口太多、太密;二是部分違章建筑破壞了原有的地形地貌,人為痕跡和城市化現(xiàn)象嚴(yán)重;三是生態(tài)環(huán)境和植被覆蓋較差,景區(qū)的森林覆蓋率只有7.2%;四是上游水土流失和污染較為嚴(yán)重。
針對這些意見,貴州省提出,加大景區(qū)綠化和黃果樹“半邊街”的搬遷工作,力爭10年后再次申報。
實(shí)際上,黃果樹存在問題遠(yuǎn)不止專家提出的那些,而再次申報的路也遠(yuǎn)不如想象的好走。
黃果樹景區(qū)一直沒有垃圾處理廠,垃圾均運(yùn)到低洼處堆放,不久便堆積如山,極大地污染了環(huán)境;景區(qū)所有賓館、招待所、旅店、餐館都沒有專門的污水處理設(shè)施,污水未經(jīng)處理就直接排入白水河;上游的一些企業(yè)和小煤窯污染河道,景區(qū)水質(zhì)污染逐漸加劇。有專家預(yù)言,若不下大力進(jìn)行生態(tài)重建,50年后黃果樹作為風(fēng)景名勝將不復(fù)存在。
為了徹底解決好上述一系列問題,還公眾一個絢麗多姿的黃果樹,1999年4月,貴州省政府決定成立黃果樹風(fēng)景名勝區(qū)管理委員會,并賦予其相應(yīng)的管理職能,對景區(qū)內(nèi)的資源保護(hù)、開發(fā)、建設(shè)、經(jīng)營和地域經(jīng)濟(jì)社會發(fā)展實(shí)行統(tǒng)一領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和管理。
黃果樹管委會成立一年,就大力抓景區(qū)的外圍綠化、25度以上坡地的退耕還林及黃果樹新城的規(guī)劃工作,僅2000年就完成景區(qū)內(nèi)11700畝的退耕還林,這是黃果樹景區(qū)開發(fā)20年來綠化面積最大的一年。
2006年,“半邊街”的搬遷工作啟動。搬遷歷時近 7年,投入近10億元,2013年9月3日下午,最后一戶住戶完成搬遷。隨后,投資5000萬元的“半邊街生態(tài)覆綠”工程啟動,約半年后,昔日雜亂無章的“半邊街”搖身一變成了“生態(tài)長廊”。
回望黃果樹景區(qū)的生態(tài)治理之路,走得慢,走得艱難,也走得穩(wěn)健。
一位工作人員說,黃果樹景區(qū)屬于典型的喀斯特地貌,土層平均厚度不到20厘米,宜林荒山荒地海拔高、水分蒸發(fā)快、氣候干旱,大部分都是石漠化特別嚴(yán)重的地區(qū),施工強(qiáng)度特別大。由于土層硬,十字鎬、鋼釬、鋤頭等工具輪番上陣也很容易損壞,幾乎每天都要更換新工具 ;挖坑時,挖出來的是一層又一層的砂石,無法養(yǎng)活樹木,施工隊(duì)伍只能一筐一筐地從山底背新土回填,路途遙遠(yuǎn),坡度又陡,有些地方一個人一天只能背三趟;要用水澆苗,只有采取人挑馬馱的方式,一桶桶送上去……
黃果樹景區(qū)的森林覆蓋率就這樣艱難而顯著地提升,1999年提高到30.35%,2011年達(dá)到50%以上;2017年達(dá)到56%,特別值得一提的是,核心景區(qū)森林覆蓋率達(dá)到 79% 以上,比當(dāng)年的 7.2%增長了十倍多。2015年,黃果樹瀑布榮獲由聯(lián)合國環(huán)境規(guī)劃署頒發(fā)的“全球低碳生態(tài)景區(qū)”榮譽(yù)證書及獎杯,成為旅游區(qū)生態(tài)建設(shè)典范。
綠,一年年,一點(diǎn)點(diǎn),攢起來了,但這些數(shù)據(jù)和榮譽(yù)的背后,是黃果樹人 20多年來令人無法想象的艱辛付出。經(jīng)過生態(tài)治理,大家的底氣更足了,相關(guān)部門表示,黃果樹景區(qū)將力爭用三四年的時間列入世界自然遺產(chǎn)名錄。
One Waterfall:Eco-rehabilitation on the Road of Cultural Heritage Application
Xu Rongfeng Guizhou Daily Reporter
Today, the work of the Huangguoshu Waterfall’s application for cultural heritage is ongoing progressively. But few people know that as early as 25 years ago the application work has already been done only to be withdrawn by the applicant at the very last minute.
In June, 1992, two experts, Lucas and Sanchel, examined the Huangguoshu Waterfall about its natural resources and environment, and before boarding the plane after completing the survey, Lucas said,“the scenic resource of the Huangguoshu Waterfall is the most influential in Asia.” Everyone on the spot was exhilarated about it and believed that the Huangguoshu Waterfall would surely succeed in the application. However, when the experts left Guizhou,they proposed “application suspended” in the reason of “overly man-worked and poorly eco-maintained”.
According to the requirements of application for World Heritage Site, one scenic area can only apply once, and any failure in the application implies no further application is valid. Therefore, before the UNESCO began its discussion and voting, the former Ministry of Construction of China wisely withdrew all the application materials.
Then, some experts summarized that the Huangguoshu Waterfall failed for four reasons: 1. The population of Banbianjie Village was too much and too dense, 2. Some illegal constructions sabotaged the original landscapes and presented too much urbanization and man work, 3. Bad ecology environment and poor vegetation coverage which was merely 7.2%, 4. Severe water and soil loss problem on the upstream area.
Following these suggestions, Guizhou proposed relocation of Banbianjie Village and aim for a successful re-application 10 years later.
But the reality was, what the Huangguoshu Waterfall lacked was far more than what those experts spotted, and re-application was far harder a road to walk on than what was imagined.
The Huangguoshu Waterfall possessed no waste disposal plant. Garbage was transported to low areas and accumulated, polluting the environment massively; all service business in the area hotels, hostels, motels, and restaurants had no sewage treatment, waste water went straight in White Water River; some enterprises and small coal pits polluted the river as well bringing more severity to the already worse situation. Some professor predicted that if no hard work of redemption was done 50 years later there will be no fantastic Huangguoshu anymore.
In order to solve all the problems as said and return the public a magnificent Huangguoshu, Guizhou set up Huangguoshu Scenic Management Committee and vested it with corresponding supervison power to lead and manage the area’s resource protection, development, construction, operation and area economic-social development work.
After one-year’s establishment, the Huangguoshu Committee strongly dealt with peripheral greening, grain for green on 25°slope and above, and new Huangguoshu city planning. The result was grain for green 11700 mu only by the year 2000, being the greatest green area in 20 years.
On the other Banbianjie Village started relocation in 2006. 7 years of work and 1 billion investment paid off for that in the afternoon of September 3rd, 2013 when the last household finished its relocation. And it was more than that, 50 million of Banbianjie re-green work kicked off and by only half of the year messy “one-side street” turned into an “eco gallery”.
Looking back on Huangguoshu’s eco rehabilitation road, it was a long one, a hard one, and yet it was also a firm one, a right one.
One staff told us, because the Huangguoshu scenic area is a typical karst landscape, with average soil thickness less than 20 centimeter, plus all the available mountains and lands suitable for afforestation are on high altitude. Dry weather and rapid moisture losing made most of the lands severe rock desertification. It was hard for construction. Rigid soil layer broke tons of picks, chisels, and hoes; everyday, a new batch of tools were needed. When they dug pits for planting, only sand and rocks were found so the construction team carried fresh soil on their back all the way from the foot of the mountain, however long and rugged way left some places three rounds per person tops. And as to watering,man shoulders and horse backs were the only way to deliver clean water.
Hence the forest coverage climbed difficultly and dramatically: up to 30.35%in 1999, over 50% in 2011, and 56% in 2017. What is more, forest coverage in core scenic area achieved more than 79%, which is eleven times more than what was 7.2% when everything first started. As a result, in the year 2015, the Huangguoshu Waterfall was awarded the honor of “World’s Low Carbon Ecological Attraction”and became a model for ecological construction in tourist area.
Year by year and bit by bit, green adds up in Huangguoshu. But behind all the glory and applause is 20 years of unimaginable contribution from Huangguoshu people. And the morale is high, according to the authority, now the ecological rehabilitation is completed, Huangguoshu will try to win the laurel of World Natural Heritage in about 3 to 4 years.