Southwest China's Sichuan Province, home to most of China's giant panda, is planning to relocate 172,200 people to build a panda national park, the provincial forestry department said on Thursday.

The 27,134-square-kilometer park that covers parts of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, was approved by central government earlier this year.

The area in Sichuan will cover around 20,000-square-kilometer, 74 percent of the park. Seven cities and prefectures, and 19 counties are involved.

About 32,300 workers and retirees in more than 1,900 mines and forests in the area will be affected, the department said.

According to latest nationwide survey, China has 1,864 wild pandas and 471 in captivity.

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