China makes headway in protecting tropical rainforests

The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is expected to be officially established this year, which will raise the protection of tropical rainforests to a new level, according to the administration bureau of the national park.

HAIKOU, April 10 (Xinhua) -- China has made continuous efforts to protect its rainforests in the tropical island province of Hainan, which boasts the most concentrated and well-preserved tropical rainforests in the country.

The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is expected to be officially established this year, which will raise the protection of tropical rainforests to a new level, according to the administration bureau of the national park.

"As one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity, tropical rainforests have important ecological functions such as climate regulation and water conservation," said Jiang Shuai, a research fellow of Yinggeling nature reserve in Hainan.

Hainan set up a pilot area of the tropical rainforest national park in January 2019 to protect and restore the ecosystem. The pilot area, located in the central mountainous terrain of Hainan, covers an area of more than 4,400 square km and involves five state-level and four provincial-level nature reserves.

An Eld's deer at the Bangxi Eld's deer nature reserve in south China's Hainan Province, April 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

"Several nature reserves, which were originally separated from one another, are now put under integrated management and protection, so as to increase gene exchanges and enrich biodiversity," said Wang Xianyong with one of the nature reserves.

The park is an integral part of China's plan to build Hainan, also the country's largest pilot free trade zone, into a "national ecological civilization pilot zone."

"Building the national park is of great significance to maintaining the original state and integrity of the tropical rainforest ecosystem and saving rare and endangered wild animals and plants in Hainan," said Xia Fei, director of the provincial forestry authority.

With an area of less than 0.05 percent of the country's land area, the pilot national park is home to about 20 percent of amphibians, 33 percent of reptiles and 38.6 percent of birds across the country.

A variety of rare animals and plants also roost there, such as the Hainan black-crested gibbon and clouded leopards which are under top state protection.

Thanks to China's greater efforts to protect and recover the rainforests, about 20 novel species have been found in recent years in Yinggeling nature reserve alone, one of the components of the national park.

"Richer biodiversity means a more complex and stable ecosystem, with more ecological functions and higher research values," said Jiang, also a macro fungus researcher at Yinggeling.

"Some scientific research is expected to deliver practical value," added Jiang, who is considering spreading the planting of some medical fungi among local farmers to help increase their incomes.

China has attached great importance to ecological conservation and acted on the understanding that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

The country plans to officially set up a batch of national parks and form a unified management system by 2020 with the aim to connect fragmented habitats and improve the management and conservation of wildlife.

Pilot projects were underway for 10 national parks, covering an area of more than 220,000 square km in 12 provinces, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said last year.