China's national forestry authority has approved a 10-million yuan (US$1.2 million) project to breed more than 1,500 Chinese alligators, one of the world's most endangered reptiles.

Under the project, the Chinese alligator breeding centre in Changxing County, in East China's Zhejiang Province, will expand from its current 3 hectares to 10 hectares.

Established in 1979, the centre has bred 355 Chinese alligators since 1984.

The project is aimed at boosting its alligator population to 2,000 by the year 2005 when the project is completed, said Professor Fang Shengguo with the Zhejiang University, who is masterminding the project.

The project will also ensure the reptiles learn to survive in the wild, he said.

The Chinese alligator is a reptile unique to China, with major habitats in eastern Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.

A survey last year showed the number of Chinese alligators in the wild had fallen to fewer than 150, from about 300 two decades ago.

But the number of alligators in captivity has risen rapidly in recent years because of artificial breeding methods.

A breeding research centre in Anhui has bred more than 9,000 Chinese alligators so far, according to an earlier media report.

(China Daily July 19, 2002)