The western region, where many rivers including the Yangtze, Yellow, and Zhujiang originate and many wild animals live, plays a significant role in China's ecological environment. To date, more than 400 nature reserves have been established in 14 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions there, covering a total area of 63 million hectares, representing about 6.56 percent of China's territory. These nature reserves, however, are constructed to mainly protect wild animals under state protection and their habitats. The sources of the great rivers, the major vulnerable ecological areas and ecological systems of the arid and semi-arid areas have not been effectively protected so far.

A series of wetland and desert ecological systems will soon be set up at the sources of the great rivers and in the vulnerable ecological areas, adds Ma Fu. During the next 10 years, China will build 270 new nature reserves in the western region, with a total area of 65 million hectares, or 13.33 percent of the total area of China. Nature reserves in the western region are now either under construction or in planning. The number and total area of these reserves exceed what was planned at the beginning of the year.

Ma Fu said that the State Forestry Administration has decided to include the construction of nature reserves in the ecological projects of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River and in the protection projects for natural forests. The State Forestry Administration will assign special funds to encourage and promote the construction of nature reserves in the western region.

Ma stresses those administrative departments for forestry in the western region should work out preferential policies to support the development of nature reserves.

(China News Service)