Seeing Forests in the South China Sea - Significant Achievements in Ecological and Environmental Protection Construction of Our South China Sea Islands and Reefs

Source: China News Service

　　 China News Network Sansha, August 18 - Title: Seeing Forests in the South China Sea - Significant Achievements in Ecological and Environmental Protection Construction of Our South China Sea Islands and Reefs

　　Authors: He Tiecheng, He Yuemin, Zhang Dayu

　　Sailing in the South China Sea of our motherland, the lush forests on the islands and reefs are like emerald green pearls, embellishing the verdant reef flats, making one yearn for them. After the hard work of several generations of officers and soldiers, the South China Sea islands and reefs, once known as the desert of the sea, have all completed greening coverage, achieving remarkable results in sustainable development with the construction goal of "green islands and reefs, ecological islands and reefs."

This is a scene captured on June 29, 2025, on a certain island reef in the South China Sea, where dense green vegetation has replaced the originally white sandy reef, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding blue sea. Photo by Zhang Dayu

　　"Trees are the lifeblood of the islands and reefs," is a saying often repeated by the officers and soldiers stationed on the reefs, and it is also a concept deeply ingrained in their hearts. The South China Sea islands and reefs experience high temperatures, high humidity, and high salinity year-round, coupled with the low nutrient content of coral sand and a lack of organic soil, making it difficult for ordinary plants to survive. The officers and soldiers have been exploring soil improvement, selecting heat-resistant, wind-resistant plants such as Casuarina equisetifolia and other species that adapt to the South China Sea climate, and have found methods for planting and maintaining characteristic plants like Delonix regia and Catharanthus roseus, achieving an average vegetation coverage rate of 46% on the islands and reefs.

　　On a certain island reef, the number of plant species cultivated by the officers and soldiers has reached over 120, with a vegetation coverage rate exceeding 90%. Large areas of Casuarina equisetifolia forests, wind-resistant trees, and large-leaved Terminalia trees are distributed in various corners, and the surface layer of the soil under the trees has formed humus from fallen leaves and dead grass, accelerating the formation of a forest plant community with a complementary growth pattern of trees, shrubs, and grasses.

　　On another island reef, the officers and soldiers use environmental monitoring stations to monitor greening data, comprehensively and dynamically grasping the growth of vegetation. A number of ecological demonstration sites, such as wetland parks and noni orchards, witness the significant results of the island reef's sand stabilization and greening efforts. The ubiquitous greenery has given the South China Sea islands and reefs unprecedented vitality, and green has become the new base color of the South China Sea islands and reefs.

A large area of Casuarina equisetifolia forest on a certain island reef. Photo by Zhang Dayu

　　The good ecology of lush trees also benefits from strict environmental control measures. After lunch, Sergeant Sun Haotian on a certain island reef began another task - driving to deliver kitchen waste to a specialized processing workshop. Here, the waste undergoes a series of processes such as high-temperature disinfection and microbial fermentation degradation, which can decompose large organic molecules in kitchen waste into nutrient-rich organic fertilizers in a short time. At the island reef sewage treatment center, the domestic sewage generated by the officers and soldiers every day is classified and treated, all transformed into reusable reclaimed water for wetland conservation and irrigation of trees.

　　In recent years, with the help of technology, the island reef has established ecological environment protection facilities such as drip irrigation systems, marine monitoring systems, and water purification systems. The island reef's waste and sewage have achieved harmless, recyclable, and zero-emission treatment, significantly enhancing the ecological environment protection effects of the island reef, and a large number of officers and soldiers have become experts in resource recycling and ecological environment monitoring.

　　How well ecological protection is performing is best evidenced by animal populations. Recently, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the stationed officers and soldiers jointly discovered a green sea turtle nesting site on Yongshu Reef for the first time, further confirming that the excellent marine ecological environment of the South China Sea provides suitable habitat conditions for endangered species. In addition, on some island beaches, sea turtles are continuously coming ashore to lay eggs; on some reefs, egrets have become "regulars."

The wind-resistant tree forest on Dong Island of the Xisha Islands and flocks of shearwaters. Photo by Zhang Guoxiong

　　Entering the Zhuhai Reef Marine Environment Monitoring Station, a huge LED screen attracted the attention of reporters: colorful corals stretch freely in the water like lively antlers, and schools of parrotfish swim among the reefs... The officers and soldiers introduced that this marine environment monitoring system can monitor the ecological environment of the surrounding sea areas at all times, providing a solid "umbrella of protection" for marine biodiversity.

　　In the eyes of the officers and soldiers, ecological and environmental protection of the South China Sea islands and reefs is an important part of building a harmonious ocean and a concrete practice of constructing a community of shared marine destiny. As guardians of the islands and reefs, they naturally have an unshirkable responsibility. In a wetland on one of the islands and reefs, various herbaceous flowers are in full bloom, aquatic plants are thriving, and flocks of egrets are nesting and raising their young... The officers and soldiers said that seeing the beautiful picture of life coexisting in harmony before their eyes made them feel the significance of their roots on the islands and reefs and their duty to guard them. (End)