China's first institute to protect the tetraena, a variety of deciduous bush known as the "living fossil" and dating back as far as the giant panda, was recently set up in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The Tetraena Protection Institute in Shizuishan City will work to protect the last existing tract of tetraena in the world growing on 10,000 hectares of sandy area bordering the Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions.

"This is a welcome change. It indicates that China is shifting from laying particular stress on protecting wild animals to protecting both wild animals and plants," said Hou Jianhai, director of the Helan Mountain Forest Management Center.

The plant has been nicknamed the "giant panda of plants" because it is rare, age-old and has round-shaped leaves with white brushy stalks, similar to the ear of the giant panda.

Nevertheless, this endangered variety is not as fortunate as the giant panda. Rather than being cared for, it used to be cut for firewood as it is greasy and flammable. Camels and goats also like to nibble its leaves. Moreover, large tracts of tetraena fields have been converted into factories in the wake of industrial expansion.

To protect the rare plant from extinction, scientists with the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed to set up a protection zone in 1985 after making an investigation in the region.

In the following years, the government of Shizuishan put up a wire fence around the acreage of tetraena and banned cutting and herding in the area. Special guards have been sent to patrol round-the-clock near the tetraena bushes and violators will be fined.

The Tetraena Protection Institute stipulated that no more industrial projects will be approved in the area where tetraena grows.

"It is worthwhile to protect this rare variety at the sacrifice of economic interests," said Zhang Yong, a government official at Shizuishan.

Workers of the protection zone have dug canals and water wells and installed spray devices to form an irrigation network there.

Through publicity among local residents, more and more people have replaced tetraena with gas and methane for cooking. Some people have planted tetraena in their courtyards, though few survived the wind and rain in open air.

"Tetraena adapts only to the wild. It is difficult for the plant to live in an artificial environment," said Yang Xingwei, head of the Shizuishan City Grassland Station. However, Chinese scientists continue to experiment with artificial breeding of the plant.

Yang warns that "if no significant breakthrough is made in this respect, this rare variety will disappear from the earth as it is destroyed little by little."

Protection of bio-diversity is a more imperative task than curbing the greenhouse effect and damage to the ozone layer, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2002)