Land and mineral resources are non-renewable resources and are crucial production factors for economic and social development. To effectively carry out land and resource management under the new circumstances, we must uphold and implement the Scientific Outlook on Development, strictly protect and make rational use of land and resource assets, and provide robust resource support for fully building a moderately prosperous society and achieving comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable economic and social development.
    I. Current Status of Land and Resources in Longyan City
Overall, Longyan City’s land and resource endowments have both advantages and disadvantages: on the one hand, it boasts relatively abundant mineral resources; on the other hand, it suffers from a relatively scarce reserve of arable land. Compared with other cities in the province, Longyan’s rich mineral resources represent one of its key regional advantages. To date, 64 types of mineral resources have been discovered in the city, of which 33 have been explored to varying degrees, and 15 rank first in the province in terms of reserves. According to estimates, the potential value of Longyan’s mineral resources exceeds 500 billion yuan. In recent years, thanks to the implementation of an “going global” strategy, Longyan’s mining industry has experienced rapid growth. The output value of raw minerals rose from 4.814 billion yuan in 2006 to 7.337 billion yuan in 2007, and further climbed to 8.94 billion yuan in 2008—a gain of 4.126 billion yuan over three years, representing an average annual growth rate of 46.15%, accounting for approximately 11.1% of the city’s total industrial output value of 80.65 billion yuan. In 2008, the city invested a total of 198 million yuan in exploration activities, resulting in new discoveries of 75.148 million tons of coal, 56.2 million tons of iron, 507,100 tons of molybdenum, 81.43 tons of gold, and 195 million tons of limestone. Significant exploration achievements were also made at projects such as the Zijinshan deep-level gold-copper mine and the Liancheng Tongkeng copper-molybdenum mine. Moreover, Longyan City has actively promoted competitions among key mining enterprises aimed at conserving and intensively utilizing resources. The collection of ecological environment management deposits for mines, strict enforcement of the exchange map system, and crackdowns on illegal activities such as over-boundary mining have become key focuses of annual mine inspections. As a result, 20 mining licenses were revoked, 26 mines operating beyond their authorized boundaries were investigated and penalized, and 160,000 yuan in compensation fees for mineral resources were recovered. Following the principles of “merging large mines with small ones, superior mines with inferior ones, and reorganizing through paid transfers,” the city has advanced the integration of non-coal mine resources. For instance, Makeng Mining acquired three iron ore enterprises and four limestone mines. The integration of mining areas such as the Hongshan-Fengshi decorative granite mine in Yongding and the Jinjiling construction stone mine in Liancheng is progressing smoothly. In total, the city has closed 37 small, scattered, and low-efficiency mines, reducing the total number of mines from 895 at the beginning of the year to 858, thereby further optimizing the layout of the mining sector. Meanwhile, as a mountainous city, Longyan has per capita arable land of 0.85 mu, slightly higher than the provincial average of 0.6 mu but far below the national average of 1.41 mu. Furthermore, the city has very limited unused land, making available arable land reserves for construction and development extremely scarce. In recent years, due to factors such as ecological conversion of cultivated land, adjustments in agricultural structure, damage caused by natural disasters, and land use for construction, the total amount of arable land in Longyan has continued to decline, placing increasing pressure on the carrying capacity of land, especially arable land.
In recent years, the land and resources authorities of Longyan City have achieved remarkable results in participating in macroeconomic regulation, optimizing resource allocation, and strengthening regulatory services, all in accordance with the requirements of the Scientific Outlook on Development. The development and utilization of land resources have made positive contributions to urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural development. The discovery, exploration, and development of a number of significant mineral deposits have provided ample industrial raw materials for the formation of industrial chains in sectors such as metallurgy, building materials, and energy. However, it is also important to recognize that the current resource situation is quite severe, and the tasks of intensifying surveys, assessments, planning, management, protection, and rational utilization of land and resources are extremely challenging.
Regarding land resources: First, the pressure to protect cultivated land continues to mount. In some localities—and even among a small number of grassroots leaders—awareness of cultivated-land protection remains weak. There is considerable arbitrariness in adjusting overall land-use plans and basic farmland protection zones. From 2006 to 2008 alone, the city adjusted the overall land-use plans for a total of 389 construction projects, with the total adjusted area reaching 70,585.26 mu, accounting for 71.2% of the approved construction land area during the same period. Of this, 24,817.04 mu involved cultivated land, representing 67.4% of the cultivated land area approved for construction during the same period and 33.5% of the cultivated-land quota allocated for planned construction in Longyan City from 1997 to 2010. Furthermore, 344 cases involved adjustments to basic farmland protection zones, with the adjusted area totaling 24,558.36 mu. Second, the special funds allocated for cultivated-land development and reclamation are insufficient, making it increasingly difficult to carry out such work. Although the quantity of basic farmland has not decreased, its overall quality has been gradually declining—especially the area of high-quality paddy fields, which has shrunk significantly. Most of the cultivated land occupied by non-agricultural construction consists of prime farmland located around towns and along roads. From 2006 to 2008, among the 24,817 mu of cultivated land lost net across the city, 16,389 mu were irrigated paddy fields and 3,006 mu were vegetable plots. Third, the level of intensive land use remains low, resulting in substantial waste. Industrial projects often have low floor area ratios and low investment intensity. In many areas, there is an unreasonable structure and layout of industrial land, low investment intensity per unit area, and widespread wasteful and inefficient land use by industrial projects. Project site selection and planning lack foresight; urban planning lags behind; and project resettlement sites are not coordinated, all of which reduce land-use efficiency. Fourth, illegal land use is becoming increasingly serious. Every year, thousands of land-related violations occur, and the trend of illegal land use is on the rise. These problems not only cause severe damage and waste of resources but also disrupt normal market order and undermine the healthy and stable operation of the entire economy.
Regarding mineral resources: First, there is still considerable room for improvement in the scientific utilization of mineral resources. The risk of illegal mining making a “comeback” remains significant if vigilance lapses, and the problems of numerous, small-scale, scattered, and disorderly mining operations have yet to be fundamentally addressed. In particular, Longyan City has a large number of small, unlicensed coal mines that are widely distributed and carry longstanding accumulated issues. Although all levels of government and relevant departments have made every effort to rectify these problems, driven by economic interests, the recurrence of small-scale coal mining activities continues to occur from time to time. Second, the overall approach to the development and utilization of mineral resources remains extensive and inefficient, resulting in low resource utilization rates. Mining enterprises in Longyan City are generally small in scale and lack advanced technological capabilities. Illegal practices such as mining the rich while discarding the poor, exploiting easy deposits while neglecting difficult ones, and destructive mining methods are still prevalent. Moreover, the sale of mineral products mainly consists of raw ores or primary products, with a dearth of high-value-added refined and deeply processed products. As a result, the extended benefits of mineral resources and their full potential contribution to the local economy have not been fully realized. Third, the negative impacts brought about by mineral resource development are cause for concern. The safety situation in mining operations remains severe, and issues such as barren mountains turning white, environmental pollution, and soil and water erosion caused by mining activities remain serious. Fourth, geological exploration efforts lag behind, and the growth rate of proven reserves of major minerals is lower than the growth rate of mining output. Resource replacement issues have already emerged for certain mineral types, which will affect the sustainable development of related industries.
    II. Establish and implement the Scientific Outlook on Development, and effectively strengthen the protection and rational utilization of land and resources.
Guiding land and resource management with the Scientific Outlook on Development means ensuring the healthy and sustainable development of the economy and society and achieving harmonious unity between humanity and nature. On the one hand, the land and resource authorities must remain steadfast in providing resource guarantees, transforming resource advantages into economic strengths to support Longyan’s new round of vigorous development. On the other hand, they must conserve and protect non-renewable resources and enhance their efficiency of use. Meeting development needs through every possible means while simultaneously conserving and protecting resources is a dialectical relationship of unity, not opposition. Conservation and protection are aimed at better meeting development demands and achieving sustainable utilization. Only by practicing conservation and intensive use of land and resources can we secure greater room for resource utilization for Longyan’s new round of vigorous development and provide more robust resource support for the implementation of key industries such as the “10+3” initiative. Based on the actual conditions of Longyan City, the Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources will make full and effective use of policies and do an excellent job in both resource conservation and rational utilization—particularly in the areas of land and mineral resources.
(1) Implement a stringent land management system and strengthen the conservation and intensive use of land.
Development is inseparable from land. In light of the current land-use situation in Longyan City, we must conscientiously implement, in accordance with laws and regulations, the central government’s series of policies and provisions on strict land management. We should firmly uphold the principles of saving and intensive land use, enhance land-use efficiency, and truly achieve scientific and rational land utilization. Specifically, we should focus on the following key tasks:
1. Give full play to the leading role of the “Overall Land Use Plan.” Diligently implement the annual land-use plan, rationally adjust the structure, layout, and timing of land use, and strictly control the total amount of construction land. Use less land whenever possible, avoid using prime land for non-essential purposes, and conserve every inch of land, especially arable land. It is strictly prohibited to convert basic farmland into ponds for fish farming or to use it for livestock and poultry breeding. Any illegal land-use activities will be severely cracked down upon.
2. Proactively provide services to secure land for projects aimed at expanding domestic demand. Guided by the requirement to “accelerate the development of three major support systems—industry, infrastructure, and urban development—build an eco-friendly economic hub and a key growth pole in Western Fujian, and take the lead and set the pace in the construction of the two pilot zones,” we will integrate measures to “ensure economic growth, expand domestic demand, and adjust the economic structure” with the implementation of policies issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources to support the development of Western Fujian. By proactively serving the expansion of domestic demand, we will boost economic development. We will prioritize securing land for the commencement of major infrastructure projects such as the Shuangyong Expressway, the Shanghang Jiaoyang to Chengguan Expressway, and the second track of the Ganlong Railway, as well as major energy projects including the second phase of the Longyan Kengkou Thermal Power Plant, the renovation and expansion of the Zhangping Thermal Power Plant, and the 500-kV transmission and transformation project in Longyan. We will actively support the construction of the city’s “three major sectors”—business office buildings, residential areas, and commercial and logistics facilities—and promote the acquisition and transfer of land for these sectors. We will also proactively serve the city’s industrial development, focusing on land approval applications for industrial projects that drive domestic demand and foster economic growth, as well as for key industrial projects listed at the municipal level or above. In particular, for the six “over-ten-billion-yuan” industries—machinery, tobacco, building materials, copper, steel, and animal husbandry—we will ensure effective land acquisition, handover, and supply for these key projects.
3. Strictly enforce land-use indicators for industrial projects and their supporting facilities. For industrial projects (or individual sub-projects) and their associated facilities, land use must comply with the requirements set forth in the “Fujian Province Industrial Project Investment Intensity and Land Use Planning Control Indicators.” Specifically, five key indicators—investment intensity, floor area ratio, green space ratio, building coverage ratio, and the proportion of land allocated to administrative offices and residential service facilities—must all meet the prescribed control standards. The proportion of land allocated to office and residential service facilities within industrial zones shall not exceed 7% of the total land area. We must effectively enhance the investment intensity per unit of land and urge investing enterprises to carry out project construction according to the agreed-upon standards. We encourage the construction of multi-story buildings while strictly limiting the construction of low-rise buildings. For industrial land that, while complying with planning regulations and without altering its original intended use, achieves higher land utilization rates and increased floor area ratios, no additional land premium will be charged. It is recommended that the government provide certain subsidies for each additional story built on multi-story (two stories or more) factory buildings.
4. Intensify efforts to dispose of idle land and actively revitalize existing land reserves. The government will reclaim idle land that has been left unused for many years due to lack of development potential, incorporating it into the government’s land reserve for re-planning and coordinated allocation. For projects that show genuine intent and sufficient capacity to continue development and construction, the government will adopt a time-limited approach to ensure their timely commencement. As for vacant factory buildings and land parcels, they will be gradually incorporated into the land acquisition and storage system in line with adjustments and implementation of urban planning, enabling their secondary development and utilization and thereby enhancing land-use efficiency.
5. Strengthen the planning, construction, and management of rural residential land use, and promote the efficient and intensive utilization of rural construction land. Actively launch pilot programs for the consolidation of collectively-owned rural construction land, and guide villages and towns to carry out planning and construction in accordance with the principle of intensive land use. The maximum land area allocated per household for rural villagers building residences is set at 80 to 120 square meters. At the same time, pay close attention to land acquisition, demolition, and resettlement efforts; scientifically plan and select resettlement sites, and carry out the construction of resettlement areas in phases and batches according to the progress of municipal projects.
6. Further promote the public auction of land use rights. By adopting methods such as public bidding, auctions, and listing for sale, as well as competitive bidding, we will further enhance the utilization rate of land. For industrial land, we should gradually create conditions to implement the “bidding, auction, and listing” approach. If two or more enterprises apply to use the same parcel of industrial land, the land-use rights should be allocated through a public auction process.
7. Strengthen the implementation of key provincial-level land consolidation projects. Longyan City has scarce reserve arable land resources. Therefore, increasing the area of arable land through the implementation of key provincial-level land consolidation projects and comprehensive improvements involving “mountains, water, roads, forests, and villages” will become an important pathway for Longyan City to achieve a balance between arable land occupation and replenishment in the future—and will also be a key area of encouragement going forward. In accordance with the requirements put forth by the Third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee—“to establish and improve a rigorous and standardized rural land management system; to uphold the strictest system for protecting arable land, assign responsibilities at all levels, and firmly safeguard the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land; and to implement the strictest system for saving land use, strictly controlling the total scale of urban and rural construction land”—we will carry out comprehensive inspections of basic farmland protection zones and accelerate the progress of ongoing provincial- and city-level land development and consolidation projects (including tobacco-field land consolidation), village improvement initiatives, and the reclamation of former residential sites. In conjunction with the remediation of “hollow villages” and post-disaster reconstruction efforts, we will focus on returning residential land to agricultural use and promoting land swaps. By adopting a three-pronged approach—development, consolidation, and reclamation—we will revitalize existing land resources and increase the area of effectively usable arable land. We will also promote successful models of new village construction tailored to local conditions, encourage the construction of apartment-style new villages for farmers, foster land-saving practices, achieve a balance between arable land occupation and replenishment, and ensure sufficient land availability for economic development.
(2) Thoroughly rectify and standardize the order of mineral resource development, fully leveraging the important role of mineral resources in Longyan City’s economic development.
With regard to the current status and existing problems in the exploration and utilization of mineral resources in Longyan City, it is imperative to earnestly implement the "Notice of the State Council on Comprehensively Rectifying and Standardizing the Order of Mineral Resource Development," the "Notice of the Fujian Provincial People's Government on Further Strengthening the Management of Mineral Resource Exploration and Development," the "Longyan City Mineral Resources '11th Five-Year' Plan," and the "Plans for the Exploration, Utilization, and Protection of Mineral Resources" formulated by each county (city, district). These measures will help comprehensively standardize the order of mining development, promote the rational exploitation of mineral resources, enhance resource utilization efficiency, and fully leverage the advantages of our mineral resources.
1. Strengthen strict oversight and vigorously crack down on illegal mining activities. Given the reality that the mining order in Longyan City has yet to fully improve, we must maintain unwavering resolve and sustained intensity, persist in long-term efforts, address both the symptoms and root causes, and promote the healthy and orderly exploration and development of mineral resources. We must unswervingly implement the municipal Party committee and municipal government’s series of requirements for shutting down illegal mines, carry out in-depth rectification of coal and non-coal mines, and, through enhanced inter-departmental coordination, streamlined management mechanisms, and improved relevant systems, maintain a high-pressure crackdown on illegal mining activities, further curb all types of illegal mining practices, and comprehensively elevate Longyan City’s level of law-based mining operations, thereby creating a healthy and orderly development environment for the mining economy. In particular, criminal liability shall be pursued according to law against those illegally mining, violently obstructing enforcement, or resisting rectification efforts, achieving both educational and deterrent effects.
2. Prioritize mineral exploration to bolster the long-term development of the mining industry. Currently, the issue of resource succession for certain minerals in Longyan City has become increasingly prominent—particularly the shortage of backup resources in metallurgical mines. With the launch of a number of cement rotary kiln projects, Xilu District and Yongding County are facing a tight supply of limestone resources. To maintain Longyan City’s competitive edge in the mining sector, it is imperative to intensify efforts in “resource expansion” through mineral exploration, identifying a new batch of follow-up and replacement resources. We must fully implement the principle of encouraging mineral exploration, adopt various effective measures to raise and secure funding, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of mineral exploration right holders, and shift away from the current situation of prioritizing development over exploration. Based on the geological conditions of different regions, Shanghang County and Wuping County should focus on polymetallic deposits such as copper, gold, and silver; Liancheng County and Yongding County should concentrate on decorative granite and lead-zinc deposits; Xilu District and Zhangping City should prioritize coal and iron resources; and Changting County should emphasize gold and rare earth resources. Through 3 to 5 years of concerted effort, we aim to achieve a balance between mineral resource consumption and replenishment, and even realize new increases in proven reserves. It is recommended that the municipal government establish a special fund for mineral resource exploration, placing revenues such as mining rights fees and mineral resource compensation fees into dedicated accounts for management, with a particular emphasis on geological exploration activities.
3. Prioritize protection and enhance resource utilization. We must vigorously implement measures to protect resources, properly balance the relationship between economic development and resource conservation, and adhere to the principle of developing while protecting and protecting while developing. Further establish and improve the supervision and management mechanisms for the exploration and utilization of mineral resources, strictly enforce annual mine inspections, “three-rate” assessments, and reserve reduction procedures, and promptly identify, stop, and investigate all illegal activities that involve discarding high-grade ores while mining low-grade ones, abandoning difficult-to-extract deposits in favor of easier ones, misusing superior ores for inferior purposes, exploiting large mines on a small scale, or failing to comply with designed mining practices—all of which result in the wasteful exploitation and destruction of mineral resources. Strengthen planning and policy guidance, fully leverage economic incentives, promote joint mining operations, and phase out a number of mines that are small in scale, low in quality, and have poor profitability. For advantageous minerals such as coal, kaolin, and limestone in Longyan City, implement production restrictions based on market conditions.
4. Promote mining development through science and technology, and advance the efficient and intensive utilization of resources. In line with the principle of “combining resource advantages with technological innovation,” we will fully leverage the strengths of Minxi’s geological and mining technical talent pool, strengthen ties and cooperation with research institutes, conduct specialized studies on key mineral species and mining areas with high potential value, and promote new technologies and processes to continuously enhance the level of resource exploration and utilization. At the same time, we will refine and expand our project portfolio for both mineral extraction and downstream processing, break free from conventional thinking, and actively attract foreign investment into Longyan’s mining sector. By integrating foreign capital and advanced technologies, we will elevate the quality and sophistication of Longyan’s mining industry. We will also scale up and strengthen the downstream industrial chain of mineral development, with a particular focus on deep and fine processing of mineral resources such as kaolin, coal, iron, gold, copper, and high-magnesium dolomite, producing high-value-added products and fully realizing the extended benefits of these resources.
5. Adopt a coordinated and comprehensive approach to achieve harmony and integration among mineral resource development, environmental protection, and safe production. Mineral resource development inevitably alters and impacts the ecological environment and will inevitably give rise to safety production issues. We must continue to uphold the principle of giving equal importance to the exploitation and utilization of mineral resources, ecological environmental protection, and safe production—prioritizing prevention and combining prevention with control. We must strictly enforce the system of environmental impact assessment reports for mines and the licensing system for safe production, and rigorously supervise enterprises to ensure that they implement environmental protection and safe production measures throughout the mineral resource extraction process. We should restrict the development of mineral resources that have significant impacts on the ecological environment, steadily advance the special campaign to address “green mountains turning white,” and make every effort to prevent secondary geological hazards caused by mining activities.
Guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development, we must establish a new mechanism for intensive and efficient resource utilization, enhance the level and efficiency of rational resource use, and thereby play a vital role in promoting the construction of a resource-conserving society, effectively supporting the development of an eco-friendly economic hub, and fostering a new round of vigorous development in western Fujian. The Longyan Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources will further transform its mindset, strengthen legal system building, refine policy measures, and establish and improve a sound system and mechanism for resource conservation, thus making due contributions to realizing comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable economic and social development in western Fujian.
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