Policy recommendations
The Wenchuan Earthquake was unprecedented in terms of scale and
scope for this region. The post-disaster reconstruction and restoration
process was also unprecedented. The disaster created a geological
environment and ecosystem that for a long time has been very
unstable and still in the process of self-healing. Over the course of the
past five years, we've continued to witness earthquake aftershocks,
and the expansion of large-scale reconstruction, including mountain
excavation, along with the expansion of mining development, will
only cause further instability. The reconstruction process is bound to
further suffer huge losses, as will the Giant Panda Nature Reserve.
Long Men Mountain in Sichuan Province is a critical nature reserve
for the protection of pandas and a vital connection point for local
ecosystems. It works as an ecological buffer and water source for
the Cheng – De - Mian - Guang economic zone. It is also the site of
mineral resource development and experiences both high-energy
consumption and high pollution from industry. Together this has meant
the region's reconstruction process is facing many challenges, and
planning must take a balanced look at both the ecological functions
and resource utilization of the area, in order to achieve sustainable
development.
Greenpeace calls the government of Sichuan Province to
1) Immediately call off all mining activities in the above-mentioned
high-risk geological disasters areas, as well as within giant panda
habitat nature reserves; 2) Limit further mining activities in major
geologically dangerous zones;3) Reassess existing development
plans for the Phosphate mining industry; 4) Ensure the security and
sustainable development of the Long Men Mountain District.
In the long term, Greenpeace calls for the State government to
issue significantly stricter regulations regarding the excavation of
Phosphate mines, aiming to reduce the total level of production
of Phosphorus fertilizers. The government should further promote
methods of scientific fertilizer application in order to increase the
efficiency of chemical fertilizers use, and to reduce the excessive
level of consumption of Phosphorus fertilizers.
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Risky
Business
Investigating the hazards
of phosphate mining
Long Men Mountains
Sichuan Province
The Central Long Men Mountain of the northern Chengdu Plain of
Sichuan Province is the fifth largest phosphate producing area in China.
Current production reserves reach 1.1 billion tons, with industrial reserves
amounting to 220 million tons. This equates to 10% of the total national
annual production. The history of mining in this region stretches back
January 12, 2013, Jinhe Phosphate Mine, Yuejiashan Township, Shifang City, Sichuan Province. © Greenpeace/Wenyu Wen
The relocated land within the Jiuding Mountain Nature Reserve (Area
in yellow marks the Giant Panda protection zone, purple marks the
perimeters of the Nature Reserve, and area in blue marks the land
being transferred out of the protection zone)
The reconstruction and restoration of the area's ecology must be
in harmony with nature, rather than fight against it. According to
ecological functions, a large number of regions within the Long
Men Mountain should be designated as restricted development or
prohibition of development zones. For areas that have already been
severely damaged by the earthquake, there is potential threat of
further geological disaster, and a lack of ecological carrying capacity,
along with difficult road access. It is critical this environment be given
the time to restore its ecological functions.
April 8, 2013, Qingping Township, Mianzhu City, Sichuan Province, the phosphate mine named Yi Xian Tian, which is thousands of meters deep inside the mountain. © Greenpeace/ Dong Ma
Just one company has requested a "protected area adjustment", yet
government departments have rushed ahead with approval. Before
doing so they were required to consider management regulations
of protected areas, make a full assessment of the area's mineral
development, and take into consideration the living conditions of
the local giant pandas. Information on whether this was completed
has not been made available. The stark reality is that phosphate
development took place within the boundaries of supposedly
protected areas.
nearly 60 years, spanning a total of 36 phosphate mountains that spread
along the Shi Ting River, Mian Yuan River and Gao Chuan River in Shi
Fang, as well as Mian Zhu and An Xian counties. Located in an active
earthquake zone, the geological environment of these phosphate-rich
mountains has been severely impacted by continuous large-scale mining.
Not only rich in phosphate, Long Men Mountains also hosts a variety of rare
animals and plants. For example, in the Sichuan Jiu Ding Mountain Nature
Reserve, animals under first-class state protection such as pandas and
snub-nosed monkeys, along with nationally-protected plants can be found.
To assess whether the phosphate mining has led to local geological
instability, Greenpeace invited Yang Yong, a Senior Geologist from the
Hengduan Mountain Research Association, to conduct a survey of regional
phosphate mining activities and geological conditions. Over the course
of several months, Greenpeace also made in-depth field investigations
to assess the impact of phosphate mining on the panda habitats in the
Sichuan Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve.
Hengduan Mountain Research Association
Risky
Business
The encroachment of the habitat of giant pandas by Phosphate mining
Investigating the hazards
of phosphate mining
Long Men Mountains
Sichuan Province
Phosphate mining: a crisis unfurling
The phosphate rich Central Long Men Mountain is located directly along a dangerous fault line.
Adding to the peril, large-scale mining has caused the geological structure to become very fragile
and unstable. This only aggravates the potential damage from earthquakes, including the ongoing
aftershocks of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Such weak geological structures have also triggered
an increase in the frequency of mudslides. So while the phosphate of Long Men Mountains has
proved too great a temptation for the industry, the mining enterprises will continue to play a highstakes game that is quickly reaching breaking point.
April 8, 2013, Qingping Township, Mianzhu City,
Sichuan Province, the phosphate mine named Yi
Xian Tian. © Greenpeace/ Dong Ma
Continuous phosphate mining has increased the risk of disaster in the Long Men
Mountain region
with the dangers of mining near an earthquake zone seriously underestimated. The geological
structure of these mountains combined with deep valleys, and the broken, loose topographic shape
of the land has become the perfect recipe for geological disaster. Under such fragile geological
conditions, the restorative construction of mines, combined with ongoing phosphate productions,
has dramatically escalated the risks of another geological disaster.
May 21, 2009, Sichan Province, workers are at the
entrance of the phosphate rocks.
© Greenpeace/Yong Yang
In the meantime, today’s phosphate mining methods often feature large-scale production, multi-level
layout mining, high-hanging mining area, as well as absence of strict measures to fill up the cavities,
all of which lead to further deformation of slopeland. Furthermore, the mining enterprises of this
region tend to be small in size with questionable property rights. Their rates of resource extraction
are low, and
they work with poor security measures. Such mining condition regularly causes
serious structural and ecosystem damage, which compound to dramatically alter the stability of the
mountain and lead to geologically stressed conditions.
Who is invading the home of pandas?
In the recently released Sichuan Province Mineral Resources and Geological Prospecting
Plan, Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve has been designated an area of "limited
surveying" .And yet, this has not prevented further mining development. Recently the
Sichuan Provincial People's Government approved for the 325 hectares of Suo Peng
Zi area (see: Sichuan Prefecture letter [2012] No. 184), located in the hinterland of the
giant panda habitat, to be transferred out of the protection zone. However, the new
land given as "compensation" is not the giant panda's natural habitat. Suo Peng Zi has
been designated a “perimeter protection area” with strict management regulation and
is currently undergoing mining exploration. Greenpeace campaigners also observed
phosphate mining activity in the neighbouring Cheng Qiang Yan mining area (which is only
2 km away), with cableway crisscrossing the air, tailings lying in piles up the mountain, and
evidence of secondary geological disasters everywhere. It is near impossible to imagine
wild giant pandas living in such an environment.
According to the Mian Zhu City People's Government website, in 2010, Sichuan Hong Da
Group requested the inclusion of Bai Yun Mountain (located in the Mian Zhu City district)
into the Sichuan Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve in exchange for the exclusion of the
three km2 area of Suo Peng Zi from the protected zone. Based on the contents of that
document, this trade was made for the benefit of the "resource utilization party", with a
separate report titled "Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve: A Comprehensive Scientific
Investigation of Adjustments Made," naming this party as the Sichuan Hong Da Group. The
Hong Da Group have driven this process using the following steps:
Mining activities are threatened by geological hazards
The 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake also caused dramatic structural changes to the area's geology and
has led to subsequent secondary disasters.The fallout from aftershocks has been long in duration
and large in scale, severely affecting the mining enterprises present. The direct economic loss
caused by earthquake disasters to the phosphate mining industry now totals 150 million RMB, which
far exceeds profits from over the years. These geological disasters have also claimed many lives
in the region. The combination of the Shi Fang and Mian Zhu mining activities with the Wen Chuan
earthquake has altogether triggered 22 landslides and resulted in the deaths of 284 people.
· After the earthquake, De Yang City People's Government agreed to the Hong Da
Group's request for mineral exploration within the protection area. The Department
of Land and Resources of Sichuan issued the mineral exploration license within the
protected area to Hong Da Group. Approved survey area totaled 750 hm2, including a
681 hm2 area located within the protected zone;
2
· Based on survey results, the Hong Da Group proposed to transfer 325 hm out of the
protected zone for the purposes of mineral production;
The region's phosphate mining is largely located in high-risk areas, including upstream to the Shi
Fang River, Shi Ting River, Mian Zhu River and Mian Yuan River, as well as the An Xian, Gao Chuan,
Da Guang Bao and Da Zhu Ping areas. According to the Sichuan Province Deyang City Mineral
Resources Master Plan (2008-2015), geological disasters in such high-risk areas have led to nine,
major and, at over 500 million RMB, very costly mine geological environment recovery projects. And
yet the geological condition of these mines have yet to be substantially improved, with several mines
collapsing, including the General Rock collapse, the San Xing collapse and the Yan Zi collapse.
Decades of phosphate mining have essentially destroyed rock mass integrity leaving the area
completely unstable
· Working within Hong Da Group's requirements for mineral exploration, the Jiu Ding
Mountain Nature Reserve Management Office suggested an adjustment of the protected
area in order to meet post-disaster reconstruction needs;
Competing for panda land
Adjacent to the phosphorite zone in the
Long Men mountain ranges lies the Sichuan
Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve, which,
together with two other interweaving Nature
Reserves, constitute the southern Min Shan
panda protection zone, also classified as a
type-B giant panda core distribution area.
Within the reserve there are 20 species of
first-degree and second-degree nationally
protected animals. The former include the
giant panda, golden monkey, takin, clouded
leopard, leopard, alpine musk deer and musk
deer.
Geological disasters such as landslides
and mudslides endanger the lives of miners
and residents in the region. These mining
activities also cause irreversible damage
to the ecological living environments of
the region's giant pandas. The phosphatemining belt lies close to the Jiu Ding Mountain
Nature Reserve. Some of the mining areas
even overlap with the giant panda habitat.
According to the third national giant panda
population and habitat survey, the existing
number of giant pandas living in the Sichuan
Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve is now
down to just eleven. These eleven giant
pandas mainly live in Ban Zi Gou, Ping Shui
River, Chang He Ba and Si Ping, which
include the Long Men Mountain phosphate
mine area.
In these cases of overlap the needs of the
phosphate mining have been prioritized over
the needs of the reserve. Mining practices
are not subject to the restrictions specified
in protected areas, which begs the question
whether these sections of Jiu Ding Mountain
should be considered "protected" at all.
· According to state regulations, adjustments of protected areas first require
comprehensive scientific investigation and evaluation. In December 2009, the Jiu Ding
Mountain Nature Reserve Authority delegated a research institute to organize a scientific
expedition. The expedition began early January 2010 and was completed by end of
November.
Phosphate Mining is threatening the safety of people downstream
· In August 2012, Sichuan Province approved an application from the Sichuan Forestry
Department. However, according to public information found on the De Yang City Land
Resources Bureau bulletin board, before the protection area adjustment application was
approved on July 17, 2012, Hong Da Group had already obtained a mineral exploration
license to work within the protection adjusted area.
After the earthquake, phosphate mines in the area continued to carry on production under extremely
precarious geological conditions. Some mining enterprises extended their effort of geological
exploration to upgrade the scale of mining.
These activities are not only in clear contradiction to the laws of the nature, they also pose a huge
threat to the residents living downstream. The river carries with it slag and chemical tailings from
mining waste, filling the river valley. When the annual rainy season comes, the flood flushes the
dregs out and turns them into a major source of debris flow. The destruction being done to these
towns and villages downstream is just another piece of the disaster puzzle. In August 2010, Qing
Ping Town, in Mian Zhu near the Long Men Mountains were visited by large debris flow, and in the
process destroyed several new houses that had been constructed following the earthquake.
Phosphate mining has led to severe damage of local vegetation, noise and water pollution
and geological disasters, which in turn directly threaten the lives of the giant pandas.
Mining activities and road construction are the two biggest culprits when it comes to
damage inflicted on the giant panda habitat, second only to the longstanding logging
activity in the area. In the Ban Zi Gou region, agriculture and phosphate mining activities
have disrupted the panda's seasonal living habits. The Jiu Ding Mountain Nature Reserve,
Xiao Mu Ling and Ban Peng Zi areas are also listed as part of a giant panda habitat
restoration project. And yet exploration and mining activities continue to grow in these
areas. Meanwhile other sections of the reserve have not been included in this project.
September 6, 2009, Qingping Township,
Sichan Province, the massive landslide.
© Greenpeace/Yong Yang
Risky
Business
Investigating the hazards
of phosphate mining
Long Men Mountains
Sichuan Province