Editor's note: The State Council Information Office held a group interview on Wednesday themed "Forging Ahead on the New Journey", bringing together outstanding guardians of natural resources to engage with the media.

Gaoyu village was once a typical economically weak village in Anji before 2010. In 2012, a comprehensive land consolidation project took place in the village, leading to the construction of four resettlement communities, where 726 farming households moved into new homes. Over 4,700 mu (313 hectares) of farmland was consolidated and centrally transferred, resulting in the rapid growth of the village's collective economic income. By 2025, the collective economic income had reached 8.32 million yuan ($1.21 million) — an increase of more than 80 times over 15 years. Today, Gaoyu village is renowned for its beautiful countryside and well-organized farmland, earning a solid reputation as an economically strong village in Anji.

Wang Weimin, deputy director of the Natural Resources and Planning Bureau of Anji County in Huzhou, Zhejiang province

Surveying and mapping are fundamental to economic development, national defense, and social progress. Our current work focuses on "supporting economic and social development, meeting the needs of various industries, facilitating natural resource management, and contributing to the construction of an ecological civilization."

Ren Xiubo, a senior engineer at the Ministry of Natural Resources' First Geodetic Surveying Brigade

I have dedicated nearly 40 years to the ordinary post of geothermal resource exploration, evaluation, development, and utilization research. What has sustained me in this endeavor is primarily a profound sense of responsibility. The nation's development — particularly the realization of its dual carbon goals and the urgent need for clean energy in its energy transition — demands that we take stock of China's geothermal resources through geological surveys. This is essential to provide clean energy resource security and support for the nation's green development and the achievement of the dual carbon goals.

Wang Guiling, a researcher at the Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences

The Qianliyan Island, where I spent most of my career, is the most remote and isolated island off the northern Yellow Sea. The working conditions were extremely tough, with no residents, and every drop of water and every grain of rice had to be shipped in. As a national benchmark marine observation station, it required 24-hour shifts for observing and transmitting data without interruption, and we persisted in this for 40 years. Now, our working conditions have become much better due to continuous technological advances and the ongoing upgrading of our observation equipment. The data we collect can be widely used in marine disaster prevention and mitigation, as well as in economic development. Together with my colleagues, I will continue to hold the front line of marine observation and keep striving to build China into a strong maritime nation.

Jiang Wenkai, director of the Beihai Forecasting and Disaster Reduction Center's Haiyang Marine Station

The Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, located at the easternmost tip of Chongming Island, serves as an important stopover and wintering ground for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian flyway. I still remember when I first started working at the reserve, to get familiar with the reserve's topography, bird habitats and migration patterns, and human activities, my colleagues and I patrolled on bumpy dirt roads by bicycle, waded into the mudflats in waterproof waders carrying spotting scopes, and walked hand in hand through tidal creeks to observe and record the conditions of birds and vegetation. Now, high-definition cameras and drones have become our main patrol and monitoring equipment, greatly improving our work efficiency.

Niu Dongliang, director of the Management Affairs Center of the Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, Shanghai