XI'AN, Sept. 28-- An ancient jujube garden that recently caught global attention in northwest China's Shaanxi Province is to receive better protection from the county government.

On Sunday, Jiaxian County established a department to protect the date grove in Nihegou Village.

The garden has become a cash cow for local farmers, thanks to the huge quantities of jujubes it produces each year, said Liu Shengsheng, the county head.

Covering an area of 1,100 mu (73 hectares), the garden has more than 1,100 trees, with some over 1,300 years old. It is said to be the biggest, well preserved group of such trees in the world and still flourishes after more than a thousand year of erosion.

The orchard was put on the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) list by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on April 28 for its innovative and sustainable system.