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Chinese Mangrove Forest Becomes Part of World Biosphere Network
China's largest mangrove forest, the Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve, has become a member of the World Biosphere Network of UNESCO.
This is the 19th Chinese nature reserve in the global network.
A ceremony, presenting the reserve's license, was held November 23 in Beihai, a coastal city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where the mangrove forest is located.
The State nature reserve, covering about 8,000 hectares, stretches along the coast for some 50 kilometers.
Sources with the nature reserve said that entering the world network may help increase their cooperation and exchanges with other members.
Mangroves usually grow in swampy areas in the torrid and subtropical zones, and they are able to protect and reinforce dikes with their exuberant roots.
The total area of mangrove forests in China has shrunk to 15,000 hectares now from 50,000 in the 1960s.
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