A program of large environmental protection activities touring 14 of China's provinces and regions was launched in the Caohai State-Level Nature Reserve of southwest China's Guizhou Province Tuesday.
The activities include tree-planting to prevent soil erosion and deterioration of the environment in the sources of the Yangtze River, the largest river in China, and the Pearl River, the largest river in south China, said Hong Shaoxian, of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), sponsor of the activities.
Performances promoting environment protection would be on tour until the end of the year. The activities aim to educate the public on the environment and to encourage them take part in the activities, Hong said.
Tree-planting also started around Caohai Lake Tuesday.
Caohai's grassy marshlands which cover 25 square kilometers in Guizhou's Weining County, boast 184 varieties of birds, of which 27 are under state protection, including endangered black-neck cranes, living on Caohai Lake, which covers 96 square kilometers.
(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2003)
