A top Chinese environmental protection official said in Beijing December 28 that China will lose no time in building more nature reserves as its natural resources and natural environment face a growing threat from the country's breakneck social and economic development.

Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), told a national conference jointly hosted by SEPA, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of State Land Resources, that China will plan to set up a number of nature reserves before it's too late.

Looking ahead to the new millennium, the director said that China's 926 nature reserves face both challenges and opportunities since the country's rapid economic and social growth is putting more and more strain on its natural resources and environment.

The reserves, covering 77 million ha, or 7.6 percent of China's land, are home to most species of China's flora and fauna.

Xie cited western China as an area for particular concern, saying China's recently launched initiative to develop the vast area, which accounts for 60 percent of China's land, will result in large-scale development in the ecologically-fragile region.

But Xie remained optimistic, pointing out that the Chinese government is more aware now than ever before of the environmental problems facing the Chinese people.

He said China is tackling the issue with nationwide programs on air and water pollution control, ecological protection projects and bans on logging in nature forests.

Administrations of 50 selected nature reserves and 100 individuals from around China were honored today at the conference for their contributions to the nature reserves initiative and the protection of biodiversity.