More than 30 Chinese and foreign experts recently attended the International Workshop for Mount Meili Conservation and Development in Deqin County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
The snow capped Mount Meili, 6,740 meters high, is located on the border of Yunnan and the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The mountain has been shrouded in mystery after previous attempts to climb it have failed over the past decade.
On January 3, 1991, 11 Japanese and six Chinese climbers disappeared in what was thought a sudden avalanche while climbing Kagbo Peak, the highest peak on Mount Meili.
The mountain has been put on the list of the world’s 200 areas that are under protection by the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), and other international organizations because of its geological location and diversified biological resources.
However, soil erosion, deteriorating ecological environment and increasing human activities are threatening the mountain’s environment.
The four-day symposium was jointly sponsored by the government of Deqin County and a U.S. nature protection association.
(People’s Daily 10/14/2000)
