Experts are calling for more market-oriented practices and public participation in China's urban ecological improvement and development.

Governments at both the State and regional levels should take bolder steps to explore market-oriented approaches and encourage public involvement in the nationwide "green" campaign, said experts attending an international symposium, which began yesterday with over 80 overseas and domestic scholars in urban forestry and creating ecologically-sound cities.

"It won't work in the long run if we merely rely on governments in the development of urban forestry," said Li Wenhua, chairman of the China Ecology Association.

Appropriately managed afforestation is not only a social welfare undertaking, but a long-term economic benefit as well, said Li, who is also the vice-president of the Chinese National Commission of the United Nations' Man and Biosphere (MAB) program.

Governments should meanwhile work out more incentives to encourage people's participation in urban ecological improvement.

An increasing number of Chinese cities have realized the importance of sustainable development with China's rapid urbanization over the last 20 years.

Official statistics indicate that China now has more than 600 cities whose rapid development over the past two decades have caused many environmental problems such as air pollution and natural resource exhaustion.

However, the growing awareness of sustainable development has motivated a large number of domestic cities to drum up efforts to improve the urban environment.

Currently, more than 80 cities hope to clean up and join the global bandwagon as "ecologically- sound cities," in the near future.

Shanghai, for instance, vows to have local forest coverage rate reach 20 percent in 2005 from the current 10 percent. To achieve this goal, the city is now busy with the creation of a 671-square-kilometre forest belt around the suburbs.

Such environment-friendly efforts are hailed by experts, but they also add that urban forestry should be viewed as part of the framework of the city's general plan for sustainable development. Government-orchestrated activities should also effectively encourage participation by the public.

(China Daily September 18, 2002)