(CN) Wildlife in dire situation sees steady improvement

November 28, 2001

China Daily 11/28/2001

After 20 years of concerted efforts, China is on top of protecting the

biological diversity of its nation.

Presently, there is a steady increase in the country's wildlife and plant

resources - which were in a dire situation - and a general improvement in

people's awareness to protect bio-diversity.

China abounds in wildlife and plant resources, with its number of bird

species ranking first in the world, its first-class plant species ranked

third in the world, and vertebrate species accounting for 14 per cent of the

world's total.

In addition to making an additional 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. This has, in turn, intensified the fight against criminal acts

harming protected wildlife and plants.

China has formulated guidelines for protecting its nature, as well as an

action plan for protecting biodiversity, which determines the country's

principles, strategies and major fields in its protection. It has also

launched a wide range of major protection projects.

By the end of last year, China 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

per cent of the country's total territory.

In the past two decades, the country banned the random removal of

sand-rooting plants, such as " facai, " a kind of algae on the grassland.

Nineteen Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have

launched natural forest protection projects, while 188 counties are

undertaking experiments to revert grain-growing land back into forest and

grassland, in an effort to rebuild the seriously damaged eco-systems and to

protect biological resources.

Xinhua

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