China to restore 30 pct of degraded ecosystems by 2030

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- China is poised to restore at least 30 percent of its degraded terrestrial, inland-water, coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030, according to a plan released on Thursday.

Nature reserves, largely in the form of national parks, will account for approximately 18 percent of the country's total land area by 2030, per a biodiversity conservation plan issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

"Red lines" designating special ecological conservation zones will encompass at least 150,000 square kilometers of China's marine territory, according to the plan.

It outlines measures in various priority areas, including laws and regulations, publicity, social participation, and monitoring and evaluation, aiming to ensure the timely fulfillment of these objectives.

China has rich biodiversity and is home to more than 10 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate species worldwide and over 36,000 species of higher plants.

The country has established a natural land protection system in recent years, with an increasing number of wildlife habitats coming under national protection thanks to this national conservation initiative.