A two-day environmental seminar, attended by both Chinese mainland and Taiwanese experts, concluded Wednesday in this capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.
The 96 environmentalists -- 71 from the mainland and 25 from the island province of Taiwan -- discussed ecology, environment, geography and natural resources issues and problems.
The experts agreed the foundation and guarantee of economic and social progress was to conserve water and soil, protect the ecological environment and prevent environmental disasters.
They attributed major environmental problems to devastating human activities, outdated legislation and the lack of environmental knowledge among the public.
The experts suggested reinforcing legislation, continuing the policy of returning cultivated land to woodland and readjusting the industrial structure to build a sound ecological-economic system for sustained development.
The seminar was co-sponsored by the Ningxia University, Hunan Economic Geography Research Institute, Taiwan University and Chungshing University from Taiwan.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2002)
