The State Forestry Administration (SFA) launched a new nationwide forest protection campaign to crackdown on destruction of State forest resources.

The administration will work with law-enforcement agencies and local authorities to investigate major cases of illegal logging, woodland abuse and poaching of endangered animals, deputy SPA director Zhou Shengxian told reporters at a press conference in Beijing yesterday.

"The policy for forestry protection, especially the logging ban of natural forests initiated after 1998's devastating summer floods, must be strictly enforced," Zhou said.

The announcement follows two major investigations of poaching of Tibet antelope and endangered animals in South China.

And this campaign is called "the third action following the first and second actions," Zhou said.

This will be another significant move aimed at protecting China's precious forestry resources, Zhou said.

Zhou pledged to make major cases of forest destruction known to the public.

"People from all walks of life are welcome to provide tips of such cases," Zhou told reporters.

Zhou said he hopes the campaign to protect forests will raise national awareness.

"The SFA will take the strictest measures to punish those who damage forests," Zhou said.

The campaign is a major step by the administration to conform with the central government's strategy of achieving sustainable development of China's western regions.

The administration blamed local officials and authorities, who are often tempted by short-term economic gains from illegal timber businesses, for a large number of forest-related problems.

Zhou acknowledged the quality of the country's forests have continued to decline because over-logging has destroyed the available mature forests.

Mature forests in State-owned zones have all but been depleted in recent years.

From 1994-98, most provinces exceeded their logging quotas with more than 6 million cubic metres of timber over-logged in five major forest-growing provinces.

Two million hectares of forest land are damaged each year, Zhou said.