清代的江浙、湖廣地區,由於人口過剩的壓力,連河湖淤淺的灘地、沙洲,以及遠偏的丘陵、山地,皆成為人們開墾的對象。這波墾荒熱潮,大肆改變中國的地貌,不僅造成河湖湮塞、老林無多,也帶來水土流失、水患加劇和生產量下降等弊害。 面臨迫切的生態危機,在治水方面,清代皇帝頒布圍墾湖地的禁令、刨毀有礙水道的私垸,以及加強官員的責任考成等措施。治山方面,則頒布禁止開山、禁種玉米和驅離棚民等措施。官僚、士人也致力於倡導環境保護的思想和行動,特別是在山林、河湖方面,他們主張禁墾湖地、押毀私垸、教民種樹、禁種玉米和驅逐棚民,並闡明水土流失的弊害。民間社會則採取豎立護林碑的方式,藉以約束民眾伐林的行為。 清廷嘗試扮演好保護環境的重要角色。但在未通盤考量環境問題,再加上政治控制鬆弛,造成執行不力,法徒具文的情形,還有,人口過剩的壓力,一直沒有找到解決途徑,最終導致所做過的一切努力,事倍功半,乃至功敗垂成。
Due to overpopulated pressure, people in Jiang-Jeh(江浙) and Hur-Guaang(湖廣) region cultivated the land of lakeside and riverside, shoals, and remote hills and mountains. These cultivation actions change physical geographical terrain of China and not only causing rivers and lakes silted up and scaling forests down but also bring disadvantage of mudflows, blooding and lower production output. Facing this seriously ecological crisis, Qing emperor declared some bans and policies. About water management, he forbade people to cultivate lake lands and demolished illegal embankments that obstruct water’s fluencies. Qing emperor also emphasized government officer’s performance appraisal about this policy. About mountain management, he forbade people to cultivate hills, prohibited planting corn and chased shed people away. Official and literati also advocated environment protection thought and dedicated themselves to environment protection actions. They advocated that cultivating lakeside lands should be prohibited, illegal embankments should be demolished, taught people to plant trees, corns should not be planted, shed people should be chased away and the disadvantage of mudflows. Non-official people erected forests protecting stele declared that people should not over-cut trees. Although the Qing dynasty government made their efforts to try to play an important role in environment protection, it finally failed over. They didn’t take overall environment policies into consideration. The official system was loose managed and so laws and decrees were not actually performed. Over populated problems was not solved also. These caused all efforts fail finally.