China Steps up Wild Animal and Plant Protection
12/16/99
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Title: China Steps up Wild Animal and Plant Protection
Source: Xinhua
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 16, 1999
BEIJING (Dec. 16) XINHUA - China will create more nature reserves in
the next five years to strengthen the protection of wild animals and
plants, according to Wang Zhibao, director of the State Forestry
Administration of China (SFAC).
From the years 2000 to 2005, the number of nature reserves managed by
the SFAC will increase from the current 776 to some 1, 000, he said at
the National Conference on the Protection of Wild Animals and Plants
which opened here today.
The country also will ban hunting in 25 more areas and establish 18
wild animal breeding bases, 6 wild plant cultivation bases, and 32
wild animal and plant monitoring stations.
The latest SFAC statistics indicate that to date China has 1, 118
nature reserves totaling 80 million hectares, of which 135 are state-
level reserves. China also has 850 forest parks with a total area of
7.5 million hectares.
These nature reserves shelter 85 percent of the country's wild animal
species and 65 percent of its wild plant species, he said, adding that
7 reserves have been listed as important international wetlands, and 3
have been placed on the World Natural Heritage list by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
China has also scored considerable achievements in breeding and
cultivating endangered wild animals and plants. The country has bred
96 giant pandas in 64 litters, and 61 of them have survived. The
number of ibis has jumped to 203 from only 7 in 1981, and more than
1,000 rare wild plant species have been put under effective
protection.
Wang urged forestry departments nationwide to take further steps to
crack down on criminal activities such as illegal hunting, smuggling,
and illegal trading in wild animals and plants.
China has issued the Law on Wild Animal Protection and the Law on Wild
Plant Protection, and in the last five years more than 70, 000
violations of these laws have been investigated.
At the opening ceremony of the conference, the SFAC awarded Giant
Panda Medals to 10 people for their outstanding contributions to wild
life protection, including Zhang Hemin, a renowned giant panda
specialist in Sichuan Province, and Zhao Zhongxiang, China Central
Television's famous anchorman.
The conference will run through December 18.