In a bid to stem environmental degradation in Tibet plans have been announced by China for
the establishment of a series of eco-system protection zones and
forest reserves, local officials said Monday.
The buffer zones are part of China's efforts to strengthen
eco-security, said Zhang Tianhua, deputy director of the regional
Environmental Protection Administration at a press conference on
Monday
The central government is expected to allocate 38.7 billion yuan
(US$4.84 billion) to support the protection of the environment in
Tibet between 2006 and 2020.
The central budget will also fund programs like the recovery of
degraded grasslands, desertification control and the settlement of
herdsmen.
Although the regional government has carried out a series of
projects on environmental protection in recent years, sandstorms,
grassland degradation and desertification still cause the region
problems due to the lack of integrated planning of these projects
and inadequate understanding of ?how important the are to the
global eco-environment, said Zhang.
According to the plan the central government aims to recover
14.96 million hectares of grassland from pastures and restore
another 4.2 million hectares of grassland in Tibet which will put
77 percent of the region's medium-degraded grassland under
protection, said Zhang.
In addition, with 8.34 million hectares of original forest
included within nature reserves and 4.368 million hectares of woods
recovered and planted 78 percent of the region's forest will be
placed under protection, he said.
The expansion of vegetation coverage in Tibet would help
alleviate the impact of sandstorms on China's eastern regions and
contribute to the global carbonic balance by keeping 24.5 million
tons of carbon per year in the region's ecosystems, said Doje,
chief engineer of the regional geological prospecting institute and
one of the project designers.
As many Asian rivers originate in Tibet the launch of the
environmental project would not only ensure the eco-security of
China but that of cross-border rivers and secure the sustainable
exploitation of international water resources, added Doje.
The projects will also contribute to world efforts to protect
biodiversity as 125 species of rare animals and 39 types of plants
on the region’s plateau would be protected, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2006)