The garden -- under construction in Zhouzhi county of Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province -- will protect and maintain the bio-diversity of plant species and the sustainable development of wildlife resources in the region.

More than 20 new kinds of plant species have been discovered so far, said garden head Shen Maocai on Monday.

The construction of the garden is supported by the Shaanxi provincial government and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The programme started one and a half years ago.

An estimated 1.38 billion yuan (US$166.2 million) is needed for the construction of the garden, which is four times larger than the current largest in Australia, according to Shen.

He said that about 580 million yuan (US$70 million) will be used in the first phase of the project which will be finished in 2005.

Funds come from four channels: budgets of the provincial government and the State Environmental Protection Administration, money from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), banks and private investments.

The GEF is a financial mechanism structured as a trust fund that operates for the purpose of achieving global environmental benefits.

State Environmental Protection Administration officials called on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to support the construction of the garden at the Second GEF Membership Conference, which was held in October in China.

The construction of the garden unexpectedly became the highlight of the conference as most members showed great interest in the project.

A senior official of Switzerland said the Qinling Garden could be viewed as a model for the improvement of the environment in western China, said Yang Xiangqi, director of the General Affairs Office of the Qinling Botanical Garden.

Qinling lies at the intersection of the subtropical and the temperate zone, enjoying the most suitable climate for growing and diversifying plants.

It is thus a good base for the collection and protection of various plant genes, said Yang.

"More than 3,200 species growing in Qinling area will enjoy immediate protection, while another 900 species from temperate areas and about 2,000 kinds from tropical and subtropical zones will be transplanted to the garden," said Yang.

Shen Maocai said the garden will provide a good opportunity for science research, the spread of scientific knowledge, protection of bio-diversity and the growth of biological tourism.

The construction of the garden will be an effective way to protect the local ecological environment, said Yang.

He disclosed that more than 3,000 residents will be moved to other areas to make way for construction.

(China Daily November 26, 2002)