China invests heavily in forest protection
The Natural Forest Protection Project, which was launched on a trial basis in 1998, is now operational in seventeen provinces in the country.
China has invested 49.5 billion yuan (about 5.96 billion US dollars) from the central government and 2.9 billion yuan from local governments in the protection of forests across the country since 1998. The end of September 2003, China's central government and local governments had injected about 50 billion yuan (about 6.0 billion US dollars) into the Natural Forest Protection Project. China's Natural Forest Protection Project has gained worldwide attention and support since its launch. The United Nations Development Program initiated a four-year technology assistance program for the natural forest protection project, with total investment of 2.5 million US dollars.
The government scheme has been well implemented in northeast China and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where China's major forests and lumbering companies are located, covering 95.3 million ha of forests, according to the official. So far, in these areas, the annual output of lumber has been reduced to 10.94 million cubic meters, from 18.53 million cubic meters in 1997. At the same time, about 95.3 million hectares of natural forest had been protected. The government has increased the number of forestry guardians has raised from 32,000 in 1998 to 193,000 and 660,000. The problems have come from the agricultural reclamation that has occurred over the last 50 years. This reclamation has involved turning about 100 square kilometers of desert into fertile farmland. Therefore, the government tries to 14.66 million hectares of farmland into forests and to cover 17.33 million hectares of barren land with trees by 2010. Under their plan next ten to fifteen years, cover ninety-seven percent of all China's counties and 760 million hectares of trees will be planted.
Their aim is to protect natural forests, wildlife and natural reserves, to prevent soil from eroding and grassland from turning into desert.
Meanwhile, the government tries to prevent shrinking forest, over 170 million hectares of land have begun to turn into desert, accounting for 18.2 percent of China's total land area, of which 52 million hectares may recover. There are 360 million hectares suffering from soil erosion, taking up 38.2 percent of the total. A lot of reasons lead to global warming, we have to more carefully to live everyday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-11/29/content_1204820.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-11/30/content_1205966.htm
http://fpeng.peopledaily.com.cn/200106/08/eng20010608_72166.html
http://www.pacificenvironment.org/china/xinjiang.htm
