Jiangsu Steps Up Afforestation EffortsEast China's Jiangsu Province will continue its efforts to increase the area of vegetation coverage to improve its environment and ecology, a local afforestation official said.Thanks to the province's afforestation efforts, the vegetation coverage area in Jiangsu has steadily increased over the past 20 years. To date, Jiangsu has completed seven million mu (467,000 hectares) of afforestation, a 1.5-million-mu (100.000 hectares) of coastal forest shelter, and 800-km long green corridors along the province's highways. At the same time, the province has mobilized volunteers to plant 2.2 billion trees. Jiangsu will focus on key afforestation projects in the next five years. These projects will play a major role in helping the province improve its eco-system and reduce logging and curb soil erosion. By the end of 2005, the province will have increased its vegetation coverage rate to 12 percent by adding 66,000 hectares of vegetation coverage and turning 770,000 mu (55,000 hectares) of farmland into afforested area and grassland. |
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