Marine economy and ecology add GDP and quality of life

The coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province is integrating its marine ecology into the full range of its economic, political, cultural and social development, said local officials

The 390-square-kilometer city has about 234 km of coastline and 17 uninhabited islands as well as nearly 2,000 marine species including the Chinese white dolphin and the lancelet, both rare species, said Kang Tao, deputy mayor of Xiamen.

The city made remarkable progress after it was named a national special economic zone by the State Council in 1980 and also made long strides in marine management.

It has cooperated with the environmental organization Partnerships in the Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia - or PEMSEA - since 1994 and has established comprehensive marine management, Kang said.

World Ocean Week organized by the city government, the State Oceanic Administration, the United Nations Development Program and PEMSEA has been held annually in Xiamen since 2005 for coastal cities around the world to share their experience in marine management, he said.

"The Xiamen government holds a series of events such as Environment Day and the national Ocean Publicity Day to popularize marine knowledge among the public and encourage them to protect rare marine animals," he said.

The city has improved sea areas through de-silting, seal walls, management of mangrove forests and beach restoration since the turn of the century to maintain a healthy marine ecology system.

Ten sewage facilities have been built that can treat 833,400 tons of wastewater a day, said Kang.

The de-silting work over 51 sq km of sea helps improve the city's hydrodynamic conditions and scenery.

"We plan to restore one to two uninhabited islands every year, have five beach islands covered with mangrove forests totaling 44.8 hectares, and increase marine life," he said.

Kang stressed that Xiamen will continue to push ahead with development of the emerging marine industry.

Added value created by the city's marine economy rose from 9.46 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in 2003 to 28.4 billion in 2011, accounting for 11.2 percent of local GDP, according to government statistics.

The local government will strive to realize an annual growth rate of 15 percent in added value in the marine economy, which is projected to reach 51 billion yuan in 2015 and 102 billion yuan in 2020, according to the city's plan.

The city's port cargo throughput reached 156 million tons in 6.47 million standard containers in 2011. Marine transportation generated 2.92 billion yuan in revenues, up 12.4 percent from the previous year.

"The Xiamen government will extend marine industry chain and build a coastal industrial zone featuring petrochemicals, yacht manufacturing and maintenance businesses," Kang said.

Support will also go to coastal tourism development, according to Kang. It generated 1.8 billion yuan in revenue last year, up 18.1 percent.

"Xiamen is on a sustainable development path featuring marine resource utilization and ecological construction," the deputy mayor said. "We have managed to maintain the overall balance of the marine environment in Xiamen."

Xiamen was twice named a national advanced city for integrated marine management by the State Oceanic Administration. It won awards from the PEMSEA in 2006 and 2009 for its coastal zone management and sustainable development.

Xiamen's urban area expanded from 14 sq km to 230 sq km in 2011 as the local population grew from 930,000 to 3.53 million.

Local GDP maintained an average growth rate of 17.1 percent to surpass 301.8 billion yuan last year.

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Xiamen locals celebrate the rising sun on the beach. The coastal city will host the upcoming Ocean-Related Ministerial Meeting under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation framework. Wan Yijiong / for China Daily

The city's well-preserved ecology draws wild birds to its wetlands. Zheng Baozhi / for China Daily