In recent years, Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark has firmly established the development concept “Clear Water And Green Mountains Are Gold and Silver Mountains” and comprehensively implemented the River Chief System and Forest Chief System. The main heads of the geopark administrative committee, towns and villages hold the posts of River Chief and Forest Chief, assigning each river, each mountain and each forest a chief, and fully protecting the clear water and green mountains.

“Two Chiefs System” Better Protects The Ecology. Since carrying out the “Two Chiefs System”, Tianzhushan has attached great importance to its ecological protection. All introduced projects must be assessed by environmental protection departments and comprehensively evaluated by professional institutes and experts.  A“One-vote Negation System” is carried out against pollution projects. Dozens of enterprises along Wanshui River and Qianshui River are closed. New models to improve rivers are being actively explored to realize the objective of ecological rivers through dyke strengthening, water storing, landscape engineering, fish protection and bird conservation.

“Two Chiefs System” Beautifies Landscape.

Making conservation a priority and in the event of its failure committing to natural recovery, Tianzhushan is converting cultivated land into forests and propelling the conservation of water and soil, building ecological shelter forests and water conservation forests and promoting the construction of important ecological projects. In 2017, Tianzhushan newly built 11,000mu forests and 11.9km-long forest belt and afforested 146mu villages, which enhanced the quality of the forest and improved the eco-environment to make the landscape more beautiful.

“Two Chiefs System” Benefits Villages. Tianzhushan has mobilized the “Two Chiefs System” as a whole, increased the input of the beautiful countryside construction, undertaken the summit talkfest of “Charming Villages in Beautiful China” and built more than 20 beautiful countryside demonstration sites. Two villages were awarded National Living Environment Example Prize, Huangpu Village was awarded the status of a National Civilized Village and Shuihou Town was awarded the status of a National Beautiful Livable Town. Tianzhushan is accelerating the development of organic, green and pollution-free agriculture and has currently built nearly 26mu standardized production bases of tea, sericulture, oil-tea camellia, trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim and forest-fruit, and established more than 20 famous and green branded products. Tianzhushan is developing surrounding ecological tourism spots and creating a group of ecological tourism areas (spots) integrating sightseeing, relaxation, summer resort, holiday and scientific investigation. In this year’s Spring Festival, family inns received 20% more tourists than last year. The green economy boosts and opens a beneficial door for the local community to shake off poverty and become prosperous.

To implement River Chief System and Forest Chief System is a specific action to carry out the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speeches and a necessary requirement to implement five new development concepts to promote green development. Tianzhushan Geopark fully recognizes the significance of the implementation of Two Chiefs System, respects and protects nature, adheres to lawful management and green development, has the courage to innovate and work hard and conserves mountains, water, fields and lakes as a whole, to make the green mountains, clear water and fresh air everlasting in Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark.