By the end of 2002, 53.3 percent of south China's Hainan Province was covered by forests, up from 48.7 percent in 1997.

This tropical island province, also China's largest special economic zone with 8 million people in its 35,000 square km, is working hard to enhance its role as a leading ecologically sound province.

Hainan began making serious moves in this direction four years ago and has scored substantial progress since then, with environmental damage caused by human activity addressed and existing resources better protected.

By the end of 2002, the province had nearly completed setting up a 1,450-km-long forest shelter belt at the cost of much aquiculture along its 1,500-km coastline.

The province now boasts six forest parks, 65 nature reserves totaling 2.7 million hectares and five protected coral reef areas covering 2.41 million hectares.

The list of ecological achievements goes on. At grass-roots level, more than 1,296 villages in the province have earned the title of "ecologically sound village," accounting for some 7 percent of settlements on the island.

The common feature of these villages is their widespread use of marsh gas. Across the province, the number of marsh gas ponds surged to 60,500 at the end of 2002 from 16,500 before 2000.

Local officials said the island would continue to be one of China's most eco-friendly areas.

Conservation efforts have not stood in the way of economic growth. Official statistics show the province now has 46,667 hectares of artificial forests to feed paper mills and 33,333 hectares of cash forests. The flower industry earns Hainan 247 million yuan annually.

Tourists are flocking to the island in search of unspoiled natural beauty. Leading attractions include Nanshan, Yalong Bay, Bo'ao and Wuzhishan.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2003)