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On April 27, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment held a regular press conference. Zhang Dawei, Director of the Department of Ecological and Environmental Monitoring under the ministry, provided an overview of the development of a modern system for ecological and environmental monitoring, stating that efforts would be accelerated to formulate a plan for such monitoring during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. “With the acceleration of establishing a modern ecological environment monitoring system as the main focus, efforts are concentrated on four key areas: networks, technology, management, and support. Higher standards are applied to ensure that monitoring data is ‘accurate, reliable, comprehensive, timely, and up-to-date’. Such a system serves as a ‘mirror’ reflecting the ‘aesthetic appeal’ of a beautiful China, a ‘scout’ for identifying ecological environment issues, and a ‘powerful tool’ to support the efforts in pollution control. ”That’s what Zhang Dawei said. Monitoring network: Expanding scope and enhancing functions. Zhang Dawei pointed out that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the development of the ecological environment monitoring network should focus on expanding its scope and enhancing its functions. Building on the existing 33,000 monitoring sites, five improvement projects will be carried out focusing on new pollutants, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, etc., thereby increasing the number of sites to over 50,000 and ensuring comprehensive coverage in the areas of carbon reduction, pollution control, and green space expansion. It is understood that over the past 10 years, China’s ecological and environmental monitoring network has gradually taken shape, featuring an integrated approach that combines land and sea areas, integrates satellite and ground-based data, ensures coordination at various levels, and promotes information sharing. Zhang Dawei said that going forward, the integrated sky-land-sea monitoring network will be further improved, with emphasis placed on two key areas of work. First, adhere to full-area coverage and establish a comprehensive monitoring network spanning the sky, land, and sea. Zhang Dawei specifically mentioned that, in terms of groundwater monitoring, 1,958 monitoring sites will be established to ensure full coverage of groundwater resources across three different zones; in addition, 656 more sites will be set up at 522 locations of the type “one zone and two facilities” (chemical industrial parks, landfills, and hazardous waste disposal sites). Second, adhere to standardized operations to enhance the efficiency of integrated management. “Building the network is the foundation, managing the network is the key, and using the network is the goal. ”Zhang Dawei said that a \"1+7+N\" network operation and management mechanism will be established to achieve unified management and regional implementation of monitoring tasks in the air, on land, at sea, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of network operations. Monitoring technologies: Digitalization and intelligence-driven improvement. “During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, comprehensive efforts will be made to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the monitoring system.” Around 10 comprehensive ‘dark lab’ facilities will be established across the country, the digital transformation of over 3,000 water and gas monitoring stations will be carried out, and more than 100 business intelligences will be deployed. By 2030, it is aimed to reduce human involvement in the key business areas of ** the network by 70% and increase efficiency by more than 5 times. ”Zhang Dawei also pointed out that the key lies in digital empowerment and iterative improvement. “ Technical achievements should not remain in the laboratory; they must be put into practical use. ”Zhang Dawei pointed out that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will take multiple measures to facilitate the transformation of research results, effectively pushing scientific and technological achievements from \"samples\" to \"products\" and from \"products\" to \"industries\". Monitoring and management: Strengthening coordination and comprehensive oversight. Zhang Dawei emphasized that monitoring and management require enhanced coordination and comprehensive oversight, with efforts needed to be made both in terms of public monitoring and the monitoring carried out by enterprises and institutions themselves. At the same time, Zhang Dawei also emphasized that data quality is the “lifeline” of ecological environment monitoring. The “hard-hit areas” of monitoring data fraud are concentrated in the field of self-monitoring by enterprises and institutions. According to statistics, there are over 370,000 pollution-discharging entities across the country that carry out self-monitoring, along with more than 10,000 technical service agencies engaged in this task. This situation is characterized by a large number of participants, a long chain of processes, and subtle methods of fraud, making supervision quite difficult. The Regulations on Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, which came into effect in January, address the persistent problems associated with self-monitoring and establish a series of innovative institutional arrangements. Zhang Dawei said that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will enforce strict entry requirements, implement comprehensive registration systems, strengthen oversight throughout the entire process, and push ecological environment monitoring toward greater professionalism and higher positions in the value chain. He also revealed that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will issue the \"Administrative Measures for Environmental Monitoring Technology Service Institutions\" to help the industry accelerate its progress along a path of healthy development focused on compliance and quality. Monitoring support: Identifying issues and warning of risks. “While conducting a comprehensive and objective assessment of the quality of the ecological environment, we give greater emphasis to identifying existing problems.” ”Zhang Dawei emphasized that to enhance the capacity for monitoring and support, it is crucial to identify problems and issue early warnings about risks. In recent years, monitoring support capabilities have been continuously enhanced, the application scope of remote sensing technology has been steadily expanding, and notable results have been achieved. For example, in the first quarter of this year, “remote sensing + AI” technologies were used to investigate illegal dumping of solid waste in 250,000 square kilometers of key areas. Zhang Dawei said that satellite remote sensing monitoring will continue to be effectively utilized during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Accelerate the development of automated production capabilities for a diversified range of remote sensing products, and deepen the application of these technologies in areas such as ecological damage, illegal dumping of solid waste, and global greenhouse gas emissions.