The Forestry Department of Tibet Autonomous Region recently approved a plan to create a state-level natural reserve at the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.

The decision to establish the reserve was made on the basis of a scientific survey, during which the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon was confirmed as the world's longest, deepest, and perhaps most dangerous gorge.

At the conclusion of the survey, scientists in Tibet and at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Sciences drew up a detailed plan for the protection of animal, plants and geological features at the canyon.

The nature reserve will encompass 9,618 square kilometers in southeastern Tibet where some 14,900 people now live. To protect the canyon, the regional government has banned any form of development before a scientific development program is worked out.