参加生态建设和环境保护。成建制组织部队和民兵预备役人员参加荒山绿化、防沙治沙、湿地生态保护等工作，支援京津风沙源治理、环塔克拉玛干沙漠绿化、长江黄河中上游生态保护、西藏“一江两河”治理等国家重点生态区和生态工程建设。两年来，共植树1400多万株，成片造林、飞播造林和绿化荒山荒滩300多万亩。测绘、气象、给水等技术部队还为地方提供大地勘测、气象水文预报、水源探测等服务。

　　扶贫帮困和支援新农村建设。各部队先后与63个贫困县、547个贫困乡镇建立帮扶关系，共建立扶贫联系点2.6万个，支援农田水利、乡村道路、小流域治理等小型工程建设2万多个，扶持发展优势特色产业1000多项，帮助40多万贫困群众脱贫致富。北京军区给水工程团先后在云南、广西、山东、河北、内蒙古、贵州等地支援地方找水打井，共打井358眼，解决了96万人生活用水及8.5万亩农田灌溉用水问题。兰州军区给水工程团实施“百井支农富民”工程，在宁夏中南部干旱带找水打井192眼，缓解了39万人、57万头牲畜饮水和3.7万亩农田灌溉用水问题。

Promoting ecological progress and protecting the environment. The PLA, militia and reserve organic troops are organized to help afforest barren hills, control desertification and preserve wetlands. Specifically, they have supported the construction of key national reserves and ecological engineering projects such as controlling the sources of sandstorms affecting Beijing and Tianjin, afforesting the periphery of the Taklimakan Desert, protecting the ecological environment of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtse and Yellow rivers, and harnessing the Yarlung Zangbo, Lhasa and Nyangqu rivers in Tibet. Over the past two years, the PLA and PAPF have planted over 14 million trees, and afforested above three million mu of barren hills and beaches by large-scale planting and aerial seeding. Besides, technical units specializing in cartography, meteorology, and water supply provide such services as cartographic surveying, weather and hydrological forecasting, and water source exploration for local people.

Contributing to poverty-alleviation initiatives and helping build new rural areas. The PLA and PAPF have paired up with 63 poverty-stricken counties and 547 poverty-stricken towns and townships; set up 26,000 places of contact for poverty reduction; supported over 20,000 small projects such as constructing irrigation and water-conservancy facilities, building rural roads, and improving small river valley areas; aided the development of more than 1,000 industries; and helped over 400,000 needy people shake off poverty. The Beijing Military Area Command's water-supply engineering regiment has helped local governments to search for water and dig wells in Yunnan, Shandong, Hebei and Guizhou provinces, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and dug 358 wells, solving the domestic water shortage for 960,000 people and the problem of irrigation for 85,000 mu of farmland. Implementing the project of "digging wells to enrich farmers," the Lanzhou Military Area Command's water-supply engineering regiment has explored water sources and dug 192 wells in the arid zone in the middle and southern parts of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and alleviated drinking water shortages for 390,000 people and 570,000 head of livestock and the problem of irrigation for 37,000 mu of farmland.

　　支持科技教育文化卫生事业。2011─2012年，军队院校、科研单位和专业技术部队共承担国家重大专项、科技支撑计划等课题研究200多项，参与科技攻关220项，转让科技成果180项。军队和武警部队108所医院对口支援西部贫困地区县级医院130所，军以下医疗卫生单位对口帮扶乡镇卫生院(所)1283个。2009—2012年，在新疆、西藏等西部少数民族地区集中援建“八一爱民学校”57所，解决了3万多名学生入学问题。

参加抢险救灾

　　中国是世界上自然灾害最为严重的国家之一，灾害种类多，分布地域广，发生频率高，给国家经济建设和人民群众生命财产安全带来严重危害。中国武装力量始终是抢险救灾的突击力量，承担最紧急、最艰难、最危险的救援任务。依据2005年颁布的《军队参加抢险救灾条例》，军队和武警部队主要担负解救、转移或者疏散受困人员，保护重要目标安全，抢救、运送重要物资，参加道路(桥梁、隧道)抢修、海上搜救、核生化救援、疫情控制、医疗救护等专业抢险，排除或者控制其他危重险情、灾情，协助地方人民政府开展灾后重建工作等任务。

Supporting scientific and technological, educational, cultural and health undertakings. From 2011 to 2012, military academies, research institutions and specialized technical units undertook more than 200 research subjects including national major projects and key technology R&D programs; participated in 220 projects tackling key scientific and technological problems; and transferred 180 technologies. A total of 108 PLA and PAPF hospitals have paired up with 130 county-level hospitals in poverty-stricken areas in the western parts of the country, while medical and health units below the corps level have paired up with 1,283 clinics and health centers in towns and townships. From 2009 to 2012, the armed forces financed and built 57 "August 1" schools particularly in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities in the western parts of the country, such as Xinjiang and Tibet, providing schooling for over 30,000 children.

Participating in Emergency Rescue and Disaster Relief

China is one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters. With more varieties, wide distribution and high frequency, natural disasters endanger China's economic and social development as well as the lives and property of many Chinese people. The armed forces of China have always acted as the shock force in emergency rescue and disaster relief, and always undertaken the most urgent, arduous and hazardous rescue tasks. According to the Regulations on the PLA's Participation in Disaster Rescue promulgated in 2005, the PLA and PAPF are mainly tasked with rescuing and evacuating the trapped; ensuring the security of important facilities and areas; salvaging and transporting important materials; participating in specialized operations such as rush repairs of roads, bridges and tunnels, maritime search and rescue, NBC rescue, epidemic control, and medical aid; eliminating or controlling other major dangers and disasters; and assisting local governments in post-disaster reconstruction.