Updated: 2014-12-03
Faced with tightening resource constraints, serious environmental pollution and ecological degradation, the people of Inner Mongolia have built an ecological civilization philosophy that respects, complies with and protects nature in carrying out the autonomous region's development strategy. Priority has been given to the construction of an ecological civilization.
Inspiration from nature
Wang Jianjun studies, practices and advocates ecological engineering and greening technology and has 14 years of experience in ecological environmental management.
Wang was born in Wulate prairie. He claims that he has followed the course of ecological protection since he was a student. He studied at a farming school and worked in animal husbandry and science and technology bureaus. He has carried out ecological management on his own.
Wang was attracted by a karst cave when he was traveling with friends in the national geological park in Hunan's Chenzhou. The falling water drips shaped the slabstone into grooves, which, in turn, stored up the water. The slabstone extends layer upon layer, resembling a natural terraced field, just like a kind of natural ecological slope protection technology.
Wang began to study relevant materials and developed a mold. He conducted experiments at Shaliang village, creating a mold by trial and error.
"Cast-in-situ grid ecological slope protection technology is based on biological community and engineering mechanics principles. Slope protection grids are cast with specially made templates and anchor bolts are added to form a consistent and stable slope featuring a three-dimensional grid system resembling a fish-scale pit. Stress resistance plants are put in the grids to protect the slope, accumulate rainwater, maintain water and soil, and recover vegetation," said Wang.
Wang founded an ecological construction company to promote ecological engineering technology. The company was named a private technology enterprise by the region's science and technology department after half a year. "The technology is mainly used to protect ecology and recover vegetation in highways, railways, mines, mountains, riverways, lake shores, ditches, dams and urban slopes. It can effectively avoid regional debris flows, landslides and other geological disasters," Wang said.
The cast-in-situ grid ecological slope protection technology was studied and demonstrated at the Ministry of Water Resources' water and soil conservation popular science base and was included in the Soil and Water Conservation Design Guidance for Production and Construction Projects compiled by the ministry's water and soil conservation department. It passed scientific and technological achievement appraisal by Inner Mongolia's science and technology department. It's an original technology in slope ecological protection, soil and water conservation, and vegetation restoration.
He Kangning, a professor at Beijing Forestry University, believed that the technology is a pioneer in ecological rehabilitation. He proposed that relevant products should be developed for various geologic structure and ecological management conditions across the country.
Build a "sponge city"
At the national urban infrastructure construction experience exchange meeting on Oct 18, 2014, Chen Zhengdao, minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said that water is a precious natural resource and environmental element. "Priority should be given to saving limited rainwater and building a sponge city that can naturally save up, permeate and purify water. In this way, urban sewage and drainage pressure will be eased, and underground water can be replenished," said Chen.
Multiple Chinese laws also clearly stipulated that municipal infrastructure projects should be matched with rainwater collection and utilization facilities. Rainwater collection and utilization facilities should be built at buildings, parking lots and plazas to reduce rainwater runoff and improve urban waterlogging prevention ability.
The ecological grass-planting terrace technology developed by Wang meets the requirements of China's sponge city development.
"It's a non-bedding permeable ecological grass-planting terrace, which creates a soil environment for plants to grow in hardened pavement and thus achieve a greening effect," said Wang." The technology can be widely used in parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, fire escapes, leisure squares and road shoulders."
"The terrace technology can realize a green parking lot and eliminate the contradiction between road greening and hardening," Wang said. "The terrace features structural stability, with 20-60 tons of bearing capacity. It can meet the parking requirements of firefighting trucks and minivans."
"We're now studying the use of construction waste to build an ecological grass-planting terrace and have made certain progress at the moment. The technology can not only turn waste into gold, but also build greenbelts and save up water," said Wang.
"What strikes me most is that the terrace technology uses construction waste as a cushion layer, which conforms to the requirements of building a conservation-minded society and realizing circular economy development. The technology can effectively solve the waterlogging problem in large and medium-sized cities and thus has great prospects in future popularization," said Zhao Tingning, a professor from the Beijing Forestry University.
Core technology from the prairie
At present, Wang Jianjun has received authorization for four patents for inventions and 16 patents for utility models in the fields of ecological slope protection, planting grass terrace, vertical greening and planting apparatus technologies. There are another three patents for inventions under review. In addition, Wang is applying for nearly 30 national technology patents in maintenance-free tree planting in arid areas; frozen, stagnant and condensate water application in tree planting; water saving lawns; biological slope protection; and water-storage road shoulders. Wang was also hired by the Beijing Forestry University as a tutor for postgraduates studying water and soil conservation and desertification control. He is also a member of the China Soil and Water Conservation Society's engineering afforestation committee.
Wang Jianjun introduce his ecological technology to visitors.
On July 25, 2014, vice-president of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences of Vienna's institute of soil organisms and landscape construction visited Hohhot for green technology exchange and cooperation in ecological restoration.
At a seminar during the visit, Inner Mongolia's landscape ecological engineering institute signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the university on environmental protection and ecological restoration. The two sides established a close strategic partnership to actively boost cooperation in mine disaster ecological governance, environment restoration and ecological afforestation.
"The highway slope has an angle of more than 40 degrees, and it's important for reinforcement measures. The project helps strengthen the slope. At the same time, plants grow very well and are very beautiful, and their roots have also reinforced the slope. Cast-in-situ grid ecological slope protection technology is very good, and has played a dual role in engineering protection and ecological afforestation," said the vice-president from a university in Vienna.
On April 18, 2013, the riverway landscape design leaded by Wang Jianjun won third prize at the water and soil conservation and ecology landscape design competition held by the Ministry of Water Resources' science and technology promotion center and the China Soil and Water and Conservation Society.
"I think the cast-in-situ grid ecological slope protection technology has produced positive engineering and ecological results, and also helps flood control," said the vice-president of the university in Vienna.
"The common ecological idea brought Wang and I together, and Wang's ecological philosophy is very realistic and advanced. Ecological restoration is a very pressing global problem, and our academic and technical exchanges can boost soil organism and ecological restoration development in China and Vienna. Our research findings will be put on the curricula to broaden student's ideas and visions in ecological restoration."
Edited by Liu Yufen and Michael Thai