The government and nongovernmental organizations are working 　　together to deal with environmental issues
　　
　　On January 18, 2005, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) suspended 30 major construction projects that violated environmental protection laws, such as the Xiluodu Hydropower Station on the Jinshajiang (the upper reaches of the Yangtze), launching what was later called an “environmental protection storm campaign.”
　　Three days later, 56 green nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) published a joint statement in more than 20 mainstream media outlets, supporting SEPA’s decision and expressing their willingness to be a “closer partner of the government.”
　　In response, Mo Guangfeng, a high-ranking SEPA official, expressed appreciation of NGOs’ declaration in an interview with the media. Previously, Pan Yue, Vice Minister of SEPA, had called these environmental NGOs an “ally of the government” on various occasions.
　　The past year has seen growing cooperation between government agencies and “green” NGOs to combat the country’s deteriorating environment.
　　The establishment in April 2005 of the All-China Environment Federation, a nationwide, non-profit environmental organization, marked another important step in cooperation between the government and NGOs. Of the more than 200 trustees of the federation, 113 are high-ranking officials. In addition, leaders of over 30 environmental NGOs, such as Liang Congjie, Liao Xiaoyi and Wang Yongchen, are listed among the trustees. Liang Congjie, founder of the Friends of Nature (FON), China’s first environmental NGO, is a vice chairman of the federation, along with Xie Zhenhua, former minister of SEPA.
　　“The fledgling federation can unite the government, society and the public, supervising the environmental work of the government and helping our country realize its environmental protection objectives,” said Zeng Xiaodong, Vice Chairman of the All-China Environment Federation.
　　
　　Collaborative victory
　　
　　BEAUTY REMAINS: The dam project on the Nujiang river is suspended through joint efforts of the state environmental watchdog and green NGOs, preserving the primordial ecosystem of this area
　　Environmental NGOs first found that they can also receive a helping hand from the state environment watchdog in their 2003 campaign to protect the Nujiang, one of China’s two primeval rivers.
　　On August 26 of that year, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a meeting in Beijing to approve the construction of a dam on the middle and lower reaches of the Nujiang. However, a SEPA representative refused to endorse the approval document because the project had failed to undergo an environmental impact study under the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, which was due to take effect five days later, on September 1.
　　Encouraged by SEPA’s move, the Green Earth Volunteers (GEV), FON and other environmental organizations, which had long accused local governments of overemphasizing economic benefits of the dam, launched a defense of the river. They gave lectures and advertised in the press and on the Internet to inform the public of the grave environmental aftermaths of the dam.
　　Unity among green NGOs was also strengthened. In November 2003, the Third Cooperation Forum of Sino-U.S. Environmental NGOs was held in Beijing. The forum drew over 200 representatives from around the country, and the main topic was shifted to how to protect the Nujiang.
　　The campaign even attracted international attention. In an anti-dam meeting held at the end of November in Thailand, China’s environmental organizations lobbied more than 60 countries to sign a joint appeal letter. The letter was submitted to UNESCO, and the international organization said in response that it would “pay attention to the issue.”
　　At the same time, SEPA arranged a series of seminars in Beijing and Yunnan Province where the dam was supposed to be located. The seminars saw intense arguments between pro- and anti-dam factions. Due to public support solicited by environmental NGOs, the anti-dam side was no longer at a disadvantage.
　　In February 2004, when the dispute reached a deadlock, Premier Wen Jiabao, commenting on the dam project report, said, “Cautious research and scientific decisions should be made in regard to big construction projects that are controversial and receive a great deal of public attention.”
　　Finally, the dam construction was suspended, and the ecology of the Nujiang was saved by joint efforts of SEPA and green NGOs.
　　
　　Increased influence
　　
　　“The 2003 campaign marked a turning point for China’s environmental organizations, as they began to affect the process of the government’s decisions on public issues,” said Wang Ming, Director of the NGO Research Center of Tsinghua University.
　　Prior to that, activities of NGOs were confined to such “fringe” areas as environmental education, tree planting and wildlife protection.
　　Liao Xiaoyi, President of the Global Village of Beijing (GVB), one of China’s earliest and most influential environmental NGOs, indicated that the organization had long been looking forward to cooperating with the government. Since 1996, when the organization was founded, all of its activities have received government support, with its working partners ranging from central government agencies of environment, forestry, civil affairs, railways and tourism to the Chinese Olympic Committee. Liao said she was more convinced of the importance of the government’s authorization and support through these experiences.
　　China’s environmental organizations have a brief history, dating back to the mid-1990s. FON became China’s first registered independent environmental NGO in 1994. The other two important green NGOs, GVB and GEV, were created in 1996 and 1995, respectively.
　　Through their own efforts and the government’s support, China’s green NGOs grew rapidly after 2000. According to statistics from the Cooperation Forum of Sino-U.S. Environmental NGOs held in November 2001 in Beijing, the number of China’s environmental organizations exceeded 2,000, involving over 1 million volunteers. FON, the largest of its kind, claims over 100,000 members nationwide.
　　Building strong connections with the media and deepening cooperation with each other, China’s environmental groups are finding new significance and gaining increasing influence. FON’s Liang and GVB’s Liao were invited to serve as environmental advisers to Beijing’s Olympic bidding committee in 2000. In recent years, they have been engaged in and played an important role in major environmental events like the alteration of Beijing’s Kunyu Canal, the relocation of the Beijing Zoo and other projects.
　　
　　A changing attitude
　　
　　Another reason for the government’s changing attitude toward green NGOs is that China’s environmental protection is calling for increasing attention. Faced with the country’s numerous economic development projects, the state environment watchdog has long been powerless to stop even those that fail to meet environmental regulations. Many view the environmental agency as an ornament, according to Vice Minister Pan.
　　SEPA now wants more power. But there’s been no clear division of authority between the Environment Department under the NDRC and SEPA since the release of China’s Environmental Impact Assessment Law in 2003. NDRC used to have more clout than SEPA in examining and approving the country’s construction projects.
　　Under such circumstances, seeking an alliance appears to be the best option. “The government obviously is incapable of monitoring the countless construction projects. So, we need to give full play to allied forces: the media, scholars, the National People’s Congress (the top legislature), NGOs and the public,” Pan said.
　　Environmental groups have therefore become SEPA’s right hand. Through a series of environmental events, they have demonstrated their advantages in mobilizing the public and creating a media sensation. With the settlement of the Nujiang dam issue, cooperation between the two sides has matured.
　　“It’s impractical for the government to take care of many grassroots works, while green NGOs can pump environmental protection awareness into the veins of every person,” said Wang Yongchen, leader of GEV.
　　Wang’s organization, for example, has a young member who joined the organization when he was three years old. The boy, now 11, has always refused to use disposable cups that are harmful for the environment and is active to persuade others to follow suit.
　　To pave the way for a wider and more constructive cooperation, in August 2005, the All-China Environment Federation, joined by SEPA and the International Department of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, launched a nationwide study of China’s green NGOs, in the hope of knowing their situations more clearly and finding a sound road for their development.
　　Cooperation still limited
　　“At present, cooperation between the government and green NGOs depends more on personal relations of leaders of each side; it has not yet developed into a systematic method,” said Wang Ming of Tsinghua University.
　　In some foreign countries, environment authorities and NGOs often act in concert with each other. “Take America for example. When the federal environment watchdog needs money, it encourages NGOs to lobby Congress; once the money is obtained, it is given to NGOs to carry out their projects. The two sides are interdependent,” noted Liao of GVB.
　　On the other hand, frequent personnel exchanges take place between the two sides, according to Liao. “Those who are active in NGOs have a chance to hold a post in the government, and some officials come to work in NGOs, bringing their rich work experience,” she said.
　　But the areas of cooperation are still limited in China at present. According to Tsinghua’s Wang, mature NGOs in some foreign countries enjoy a high level of expertise. Many important UN conventions and treaties relating to human rights and environmental protection are drawn up by NGOs.
　　“What the government wants us to do is to focus on environmental education and other concrete projects,” said Liao. “There are many fields that we are not expected to explore at present. At least, we haven’t taken on the responsibility of supervising the government.”
　　
　　

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