DOI: https://doi.org/10.3974/geodp.2021.03.01
CSTR: https://cstr.escience.org.cn/CSTR:20146.99.2021.03.01
Action
on Quality Geographical Products for Environment and Sustainability—Keynote Speech
at GIES Forum of CIFTIS 2021
Liu, Y. H.
Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s
Republic of China, Beijing 100101, China
Dear
colleagues and friends:
Two
years ago, when Professor Liu, C. talked to me that geographers should pay more
attention to the studies on geographical indications, especially to the environment
protection and sustainable development for them. I believe it is time for us to
take action now either for the local or regional development, or for better
life of people, as well as for the research of geography.
As the keynote, I would like to share my
thoughts on this issue as following.
1 The Relationship
between Quality Geographical Products and Their Geo-eco-bio Environment
As
the Chinese saying goes, a piece of land nourishes a group of people and a
unique life style. Land is the geographical environment, and life style is the
synthesis of products, culture, technology, style, and habits. Quality
geographical products are produced in a unique environment and are
irreplaceable. They have enjoyed good reputation for their specialty and excellence
attached with a special locality. They are the intangible assets, business
cards and important wealth of this piece of land.
A good example of
quality geographical products is traditional Chinese medicine. In the
inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine, genuine medicinal materials are
the most important. Genuine medicinal materials are special terms for
high-quality and pure medicinal materials. They refer to medicinal materials
with long history, suitable origin, excellent varieties, high yield, exquisite
processing, outstanding curative effect and regional characteristics. In fact,
the work of quality geographical products is to find and protect the genuine
products of China’s biodiversity, so as to realize the authenticity.
Some may ask: what
is the difference between “quality geographical products” and “geographical
indications”, “geographical specific products” and “geographical traditional-
civilized products”?
The term of Geographical
Indications refers GI and Agriculture GI, both of them should be approved by
the authorities (in China, GI from the State Intellectual Property Office of P.
R. China and the Agriculture Geographical Indications by Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Areas of P. R. China). The term of Geographical characteristic
products here is registered trademarks to protect intellectual property and the
product could be potential GI. The term of Geographical traditional-civilized
product refer to product produced through long-term geographical inheritance and
registered trademark to protect intellectual property, it could be potential GI.
“Quality geographical products” is the general term of the above three types of
geographical products, also called 3G products.
2 Why Promote
the Scientific Cognition of Quality Geographical Products?
(1)
Not only know what it is, but also need to know why and how it is
China
is a country in rich of geo-bio diversities and cultural resources. These resources
have nurtured the Chinese nation for thousands of years. Although people have
recognized many species, origin and uses in this long history, these species
have not been given sufficient scientific interpretation in terms of climate,
soil, hydrology, landform, biological community, growth conditions, nutrient
demand, effective components, and genetic characteristics. The result is that
some knowledge has often stayed at the level of qualitative description, and
some quality geographical products fail to realize their due value. With the
progress of science and technology, it is time to comprehensively and
quantitatively understand quality geographical products and their growth
environment. Geographers have the ability and responsibility to shoulder this
task, turn traditional experience into scientific cognition, and make the
precious resource endowment more profound.
(2)
New branch of geography
We often say that although a sparrow is small, it
has all kinds of internal organs. While the research on the habitat of quality
geographical products may involve a small scope in each case, the work content
of comprehensive evaluation will not be less. We first need to explore the pattern
of individual quality geographical product under special conditions, and then
we can summarize the distribution environment of quality geographical products.
It is likely that the mounting geographical researches of quality geographical
products will lead to new discoveries.
Geographical
research focuses on space, time, process and pattern. Macro analysis must be
based on field verification. Without enough small facets, we can’t see the
whole picture clearly; without the accumulation of pattern at case level, there
is no summary of common understanding.
(3)
From common understanding to action
There
is a common understanding in the world that the health ecosystem is value. How
to realize the health ecosystem value to socio-economic development value is a
challenging issue. The quality geographical products could help. For example, improve
product quality and output through environmental, improve production efficiency
and increase added value through the scientific analysis and new technology. By
connecting products and consumers to the industrial chain, quality geographical
products can obtain good market reputation, benefit the society at large, and
make the real brand develop continuously. So, it is time for us to take action
together.
3 Experiences
(1)
Bottom-up and top-down methodologies
Linking
the normal procedure of Geographical Indications, which is identified and approved
by government authorities using the top-down methodology, and the demonstration
of GIES cases, which is promoted by a joint team consisted of multi-stakeholder
and partners. This effort using bottom-up methodology was warmly welcomed and
active evolved by local people in the pilot cases.
(2)
Pilot study
Green
environment contains treasures. Science and technology should help excavate and
utilize the treasures to benefit local people. Under the leadership of Professor
Liu, C. and with the efforts of all of you here, after two years of efforts,
five cases of habitat study have been completed, and dozens of others are
working in this direction. Of course, it is only beginning, since nearly 10,000
geographical products in China. Therefore, there is a long way to go.
(3)
An unified guideline
So
far, a certain specification works have been practiced based on the pilot case
studies. For more cases coming, the unified guidelines should follow and be practiced.
(4)
Data and knowledge publishing platform
The
Journal of Global Change Data & Discovery and the Digital Journal of Global Change Data Repository provide a platform
for publishing dataset and data paper of each case. I believe it will great
help in linking the quality geographical products and the consumers and benefit
environment and sustainable development.
4 Recommendations
I
fully agree with the work directions proposed by the research group, including:
(1) reasonably
select quality geographical products cases for sustainable development study;
(2) strengthen the
interdisciplinary research on the internal mechanism and relationship between
quality geographical products and its habitat;
(3) optimize the
construction of infrastructures such as quality geographical products and habitat
case network;
(4) promote the
integration of the products chain.
In addition, I
would like to have the following recommendations:
(1) build a bridge
between administration and scientific research, and comprehensively spread the
work of environment protection and sustainable development of quality
geographical products through the combination of “bottom-up” and “top-down”
mechanisms, so as to benefit the local people and economy, promote scientific
and technological progress, and spur engineering integration and innovation.
(2) develop the
channels between scientific data and market, so that the quality products and
their origin occupy their due position in the trade and market system.
(3) through mounting
case studies, we should make a breakthrough in the theoretical research of
ecological value.
Finally, I would
like to summarize that the environment and sustainable development of quality
geographical products can be likened to experiencing “mother’s taste” with knowledge
and wisdom. With strong nostalgia, we will express our love for the land that
raised us, and do our best to keep the earth productive, prosperous, and beautiful.
Thank you for your
attention!