China's national park administration has announced the establishment of a new set of national parks, according to a report by Xinhua news agency.
Guan Zhi'ou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration), speaking at the second National Park Forum held in Xining, the capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, said the parks – in Huanghekou, Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu, and Kalamayli – will be established in a steady and orderly manner.
Guan said China has adopted the most stringent measures to protect the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystem and promote the continuous improvement of ecological functions.
China's national parks are specific land or sea areas whose primary purpose is to preserve the nationally representative natural ecosystems of the country and realize the scientific protection and rational use of natural resources.
In 2021, China established the first batch of national parks, with a protected land area of 230,000 square km. These parks, namely, the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, and the Wuyishan National Park, are home to 30 percent of the critical terrestrial wildlife species found in the country.
Guan said that after establishing the first batch of national parks, more than 390 mining sites have been closed, and 100 small-scale hydroelectric stations have also been phased out.
"The Sanjiangyuan park realized the full protection of the source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers, and the Tibetan antelope population has recovered to over 70,000. In the Giant Panda National Park, more than 70 percent of wild pandas are under good protection," the official added.
"Efforts will be made to promote high-level protection and facilitate the promulgation of the National Park Law," Guan said, adding that China will also increase the application of new technologies, build a world-class scientific research monitoring platform, and strengthen national park management capabilities.
(Callan Williamson and agencies)