LONGYAN, Fujian: It's the most endangered of the five living subspecies of the tiger. In fact, only 20 to 30 of the subspecies can be found in the wilds of East and South China.

The South China tiger is truly on the verge of extinction, and will be so if we don't do anything now. The central government realized the immediacy more than a decade ago, and launched a project to save the South China tiger in 1998.

Now, the New York-based World Harmony Foundation (WHF) has joined the fight in this mountainous city of East China's Fujian Province to keep the subspecies alive in the wild.

The WHF and a Fujian-based company have raised 1.25 million yuan ($162,000) for the South China Tiger Program that was launched yesterday.

WHF Chairman Frank Liu said the project would be presented to the United Nations' forum in Vienna in June as a symbol of harmony between humans and nature.

The South China tiger has been listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the most endangered species in the world, with 25 of the 75 surviving big cats living in Longyan, WHF founding member Tim Wilkerson said.

People should teach their children to spend less on fast food and beverage so that they can save some money, Wilkerson said. This money can be donated to save the South China tiger.