A series of environmental protection events titled "Natural China", sponsored by the US-based Nature Conservatory, will show its influence in conserving China's natural splendor, a spokeswoman for the group said on Tuesday.

China Program Director Rose Niu said at a State Council Information Office press conference that the events would include concerts in Beijing and Shanghai in April, a seminar in Washington D.C. in July and nature reserve tours for photographers and journalists this autumn in China.

"The Seasons" concert, to be held in the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Thursday, would show the relationship between music and natural reserve protection, said US-China Cultural Institute Chairman Shirley Young.

A portion of the proceeds would be donated to grassroots organizations and individuals, said Young. She added that there was a growing movement of grassroots environmental organizations that were seeking to conserve natural reserves and promote biodiversity in China.

China has established nearly 2,400 natural reserves, which cover 15 percent of the nation's territory.

The series also features the "Natural Reserves of China, Through the Viewfinder," a photography contest and exhibit that is being jointly sponsored by the Conservancy, the State Forestry Administration and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, said Niu. The event began taking entries in 2007, with more than 400 submitted so far.

Lei Guangchun, dean of the Beijing Forestry University Nature Reserve Management School, said that although most terrestrial ecosystems and endangered species were protected in natural reserves, the conservation structure and approach needed transformation.

"Effective conservation of biodiversity, especially in a period of rapid economic development in China, faces extreme challenges," he said, adding that effective conservation required a strong coalition between the government and society.

Nature Conservancy Vice-president Terry Richey said that as one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world and with a history of 57 years, the group had established natural conservation programs in 34 countries. It began working in China in 1998 and has staged environmental protection activities in several regions.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2008)