China Launches Project to Protect RiversChina has launched a project to protect the country's three major rivers.Comprehensive efforts will be made to protect natural forests in the area in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in northwest China, where the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers originate. The project will involve 37 counties, a forestry enterprise and 59 state-owned tree farms in Qinghai Province. Vice-Governor Mu Dongsheng said his province will, with the support from the central government, invest 1.212 billion yuan over the next 10 years to protect 1.98 million hectares of natural forests in the project area. The project will also fence up 58,666.67 hectares of hills to plant trees and plant 287,666.67 hectares of trees. Qinghai banned lumbering in the project area starting November 1998. Since then, the province has planted 370,000 hectares of trees. A total of 3.25 million hectares of grassland will be planted and 1.89 million hectares of pasture will be improved in the area over the next 10 years. |
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