Faced with tightening resource constraints, serious environmental pollution and ecological degradation, the people of Inner Mongolia have built an ecological civilization philosophy that respects, complies with and protects nature in carrying out the autonomous region's development strategy. Priority has been given to the construction of an ecological civilization.

Inspiration from nature

Wang Jianjun studies, practices and advocates ecological engineering and greening technology and has 14 years of experience in ecological environmental management.

Wang was born in Wulate prairie. He claims that he has followed the course of ecological protection since he was a student. He studied at a farming school and worked in animal husbandry and science and technology bureaus. He has carried out ecological management on his own.

Wang was attracted by a karst cave when he was traveling with friends in the national geological park in Hunan's Chenzhou. The falling water drips shaped the slabstone into grooves, which, in turn, stored up the water. The slabstone extends layer upon layer, resembling a natural terraced field, just like a kind of natural ecological slope protection technology.

Wang began to study relevant materials and developed a mold. He conducted experiments at Shaliang village, creating a mold by trial and error.

"Cast-in-situ grid ecological slope protection technology is based on biological community and engineering mechanics principles. Slope protection grids are cast with specially made templates and anchor bolts are added to form a consistent and stable slope featuring a three-dimensional grid system resembling a fish-scale pit. Stress resistance plants are put in the grids to protect the slope, accumulate rainwater, maintain water and soil, and recover vegetation," said Wang.

Wang founded an ecological construction company to promote ecological engineering technology. The company was named a private technology enterprise by the region's science and technology department after half a year. "The technology is mainly used to protect ecology and recover vegetation in highways, railways, mines, mountains, riverways, lake shores, ditches, dams and urban slopes. It can effectively avoid regional debris flows, landslides and other geological disasters," Wang said.

The cast-in-situ grid ecological slope protection technology was studied and demonstrated at the Ministry of Water Resources' water and soil conservation popular science base and was included in the Soil and Water Conservation Design Guidance for Production and Construction Projects compiled by the ministry's water and soil conservation department. It passed scientific and technological achievement appraisal by Inner Mongolia's science and technology department. It's an original technology in slope ecological protection, soil and water conservation, and vegetation restoration.

He Kangning, a professor at Beijing Forestry University, believed that the technology is a pioneer in ecological rehabilitation. He proposed that relevant products should be developed for various geologic structure and ecological management conditions across the country.