China's Ministry of Construction published yesterday the country's first natural heritage lists in a bid to increase awareness of the need to protect its unspoiled wild spaces. 

Included in the lists are natural sites, and sites of both natural and cultural importance.

The first batch of 30 sites was unveiled yesterday in Beijing.

From these lists, candidates for World Heritage Listing will be selected, according to Chen Xiaoli, a senior ministry official.

The ministry hopes that the lists will encourage site managers to take more care with the locations and learn the international rules of world heritage management.

"Managers of listed sites are required to deliver annual inspection reports to local construction administrations. Those who fail to take adequate protection measures will have their sites removed from the list," said Wang Fengwu, another senior ministry official.

In another development, two sites will be put up for nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Listing at the 30th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Lithuania on Saturday.

They are the Yin Ruins in central China's Henan Province, which once formed the capital of the Shang Dynasty empire 3,300 years ago. Ancient bones with inscriptions and the world's largest bronze vessel, the Simuwu Square Vessel, were unearthed there. The other nominee is land inhabited by giant pandas in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China currently has 31 sites included on the World Heritage List, and is ranked third in the world in terms of the number of World Heritage sites behind Spain and Italy respectively.

(China Daily July 6, 2006)