China has listed ecological protection high on its agenda for sustainable economic development.

The country has set up 51 state-level agricultural bases conducted in an ecological way, covering more than 13 million hectares of land, or 13.7 percent of the country's total farmland, according to a national conference being held in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province.

China has built a tree belt in the north, northeast and northwest regions of the country and along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. More than 30 billion trees have been planted across China since the central government kicked off its afforestation drive in 1981.

Gansu Province, an arid area in northwest China, has covered 520,000 hectares of barren hills with trees and grass at a cost of 168 million yuan over the past decade.

The country has also set up 926 nature reserves which occupy 7. 64 percent of China's territory.

To legalize ecological protection, China has promulgated 15 laws and 30 regulations on the environmental protection and natural resources management.