Development

Concert held to celebrate Int'l Forest Year

By Chen Qide (China Daily Shanghai Bureau)
Updated: 2011-06-03 14:59

SHANGHAI -- The city held a symphony concert, entitled Sounds of Nature, on Thursday to celebrate 2011 International Forest Year set by the United Nations.

The concert was sponsored by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), the Endangered Species Import & Export Management Office of China Shanghai Branch and Shanghai OCT Co Ltd.

"Holding such a concert aims to arouse people's awareness of pushing forward forest management and promoting green development," said Hu Deping, chairman of CBCGDF.

The world has witnessed the extinction of 40 per cent of species due to loss of a large amount of forests, which has affected the survival of the mankind, Hu said.

"We need common effort to contribute to creating a favourable ecological environment for human beings, animals and plants," he said.

His words were echoed by Liu Pingchun, president of Shanghai OCT Co Ltd, who said as a large enterprise, OCT Group has devoted its effort to green development. Its Shanghai Happy Valley is greened by trees and lawns, accounting for 71 per cent of its 900,000 square meters.

According to the Shanghai Forestry Bureau, the city has built a number of forest parks to add greenness to its environment. As of 2009, it had 79,755 hectares of forests, accounting for 12.6 per cent of its total area.