China successful in protecting bio-diversity
( 2001-11-22 15:32 ) (8 )

China's two-decade efforts to protect biological diversity across the country have been a complete success, with a steady increase in the country's shrinking wildlife and plant resources and a general improvement in people's awareness to protect bio-diversity.

China abounds in wildlife and plant resources, with its high- grade plant species ranked the third in the world and vertebrate species accounting for 14 percent of the world's total. And the bird species ranks the first in the world.

In addition to making a great number of state and local laws and decrees to help protect wildlife, forests and wild plants, the country has also included the protection of wildlife and plants in its newly amended Criminal Law, which has in turn intensified the fight against criminal acts harming the protected wildlife and plants.

China has formulated guidelines for protecting nature and an action plan for protecting bio-diversity which determines the country's principles, strategies and major fields in the protection of bio-diversity. It has also launched a wide range of major protection projects.

By late 2000, China had built 1,276 nature reserves, where most of the country's endangered wildlife and plants are well protected. These nature reserves cover an area of 123 million hectares, accounting for 12.44 percent of the country's total territory.

In the past two decades the country has banned the random removal of sand-rooting plants such as "facai", a kind of algae on the grassland, liquorice, and ephedra. Nineteen Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have launched natural forest protection projects, and in 188 counties experiments have also been made in reverting land which was previously used for grain- growing back into forest and grassland, in an effort to rebuild the seriously damaged eco-systems and to protect biological resources.

A total of 250 wildlife propagation centers have been built across the country, and seven major species including the endangered giant pandas and crested ibis. A number of modernized hereditary resources protection facilities have been built and put into operation.