The scenic Zhangjiajie nature reserve in central-south China's Hunan province is almost free from floods and mudslides -- even during this month's torrential rains -- thanks to an extensive afforestation program.

Local water conservation authorities said that since June 18, the nationally-renowned reserve area in Zhangjiajie, which boast 98 percent forest coverage, was hit by a couple of downpours.

Dozens of local villages reported more than 200 millimeters of rainfall within 36 hours, and tourist numbers, nevertheless, have remained high since the rain did not cause any disturbances.

Sources said the local government returned about 33,000 hectares (81,543 acres) of farmland to forest and carried out afforestation over 149,000 hectares (368,197 acres) in the past decade, raising forest coverage by 20 percent from 10 years ago.

At the same time, biogas has replaced firewood for cooking and heating in the area, thus saving a lot of trees from the axe.

To date, the city has invested approximately 50 million yuan (US$6 million) in drilling some 30,000 gas bores.

( June 28, 2002)