Collaboration Agreement on Forestry Construction Planning for High Efficiency Ecological and Economic Demonstration Zone at the Headwaters of South-to-North Water Diversion Project was signed between CAF and the People’s Government of Nanyang City in Henan Province on Oct 18th 2012 in Nanyang City. The Research Institute of Forest Resources Information Techniques of CAF has initiated the preparatory work by starting on-site investigation tours focusing information collection.

The middle route engineering of South-to-North Water Diversion Project has been China’s strategic infrastructure construction to ease water shortage in the North and optimize the water resources configuration. Nanyang City locates at the headwaters and one of the important water sources of the middle route. The CPC Party Central Committee and the State Council particularly emphasized the importance and required an even higher standard for forest landscaping construction of the High Efficiency Ecological and Economic Demonstration Zone at the Headwaters of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. For this reason, the people’s government of Nanyang City decided to hiring top-level experts to formulate a Forestry Construction Planning of high level and high standard for the region.

Led by CAF’s chief scientist TANG Shouzheng，academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and joined by the Institute’s CPC Party secretary WANG HONG and deputy director ZHANG Huiru and others, the Forestry Construction Planning expert team made on-site visits to the major middle route engineering sections of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project from December the 15th to 20th.

Concentrating on the investigation to the regions of headwaters of the middle route, the experts team made the on-site visits to 7,500 mu of honeysuckle production base managed by Henan Fusen Pharmaceutical Company; Resettlement community landscaping project at Huali Village of Jiuzhong Township and the headwaters at Taocha Sluice, The barren mountain afforestation sites on Huyan Hill and Shaguan Hill as well as ten-thousands mu of crispy shell walnut production base at Madeng Township in Zhechuan County; Danjiangkou Grand Landscape Park; Ten-thousand mu of tea plantation operated by Jingeli Group; in Xixia County , visiting ten-thousand mu of kiwi fruit demonstration base, Mushroom standardized production base, Ecological tourism agriculture park at Huashan Village of Shuanglong Town. The trips of experts team also covered the sections of cannels in the regions of Dengzhou City, Zhenping County , Fangcheng County and Wolong District as well as ten-thousand mu of tea plantation at Sihe Village of Taoxi Town in Neixiang County. Detailed information has been collected from the locals and solid foundation has been laid for the preparation work to accomplish a high standard of forestry construction planning.

This collaboration project further deepens the relations between the parties. To accomplish the task does not only imply meeting the national ecological needs but also boosting the imperatives of sustainable socioeconomic and ecological development in headwaters region of the middle route. Therefore, the parties will work devotedly in designing the plan, scheming the ecological rehabilitation and reconstruction to strive for the development of a high efficiency ecological and economic Nanyang City , especial to divert the clean and clear water to Beijing.