A non-government organization, the China Wild Plant Conservation
Association (CWPCA), was set up in Beijing
Friday.
As a voluntary association of members engaged in wild plant
protection, the organization will work to serve the country's wild
plant protection cause, said Ma Fu, director of the newly-founded
association.
Under the direction of state guidelines on wild plant
protection, the association will unite social forces and promote
knowledge of wild plants to improve public awareness.
The State Forestry Administration is in charge of the
association and the professional work is guided by the State
Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture.
China is home to 30,000 species of higher plants, about 10
percent of the world's total, in which about 57 percent or 17,300
are endemic.
China has set up a basic legal system and administrative
management on wild plant protection and has been protecting wild
plant habitats and saving endangered species, said Zhao Xuemin,
deputy-director of the State Forestry Administration.
As an integrated part of nature, wild plants are crucial to the
ecological balance and the setup of CWPCA completed the country's
protection of natural resources at the 20 anniversary of China
Wildlife Conservation Association, said Chen Runsheng,
general-secretary of the CWPCA.
(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2003)