BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China plans to build and restore 18,800 hectares of mangrove forests by 2025, according to an action plan issued Friday by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Of the total, 9,050 hectares of mangrove forests will be built over the next five years, and 9,750 hectares will be rehabilitated.

Protecting coastlines against increasingly ferocious storms and rising seas, mangroves also absorb planet-heating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide nurseries for young fish, thereby supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities.

In recent years, China has taken various measures to promote mangrove protection and restoration, such as establishing 52 mangrove nature reserves. China has become one of the few countries in the world with a net increase in the mangrove area.

The country will strictly control the use of mangrove forests and prohibit occupation except for major national projects. Local authorities should work to build a number of new mangrove nature reserves over the next five years, according to the action plan.