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Nature Reserves Cover One-Tenth of China's Territory
China's 1,276 nature reserves have covered an area of 123 million hectares by 2000, equal to 12. 44 percent of the country's total territory, according to the Ministry of Forestry.
China has developed 1,050 forest parks with a total area of 9. 82 million hectares, including 344 national forest parks, as well as 289 wetland reserves. Other 33 nature reserves were founded to protect giant pandas, the Ministry source said.
A Ministry official announced that the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Southwest Sichuan Province, had 12 baby pandas in 2000 and 11 survived, the recorded highest rate of survival. In the whole country 20 baby pandas were born last year, of which 18 survived.
The protection of other rare species of wildlife in China was also improved last year. Crested ibises, an endangered species of bird, have totaled 248 now and about 10,000 Chinese alligators are raised in breeding centers. Northeast China tigers and south China tigers were found living in some places in northeast China and South China.
The country now has had 19 nature reserves listed as international biosphere network members and three listed in the world's natural heritage by UNESCO.
The UNESCO biosphere network was sponsored in 1971 as an inter- government scientific research organization, which aims to better protect the bio-diversity, maintain the balance of the ecosystem and promote the sustained use of nature.
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