China has set up a protection center for aquatic wildlife in the Yangtze River at the section of the river in Anhui Province, east China.

Zhang Xibing, an official in charge of the center, said it was designed to keep clear a swimming channel for aquatic wild animals under State protection, including freshwater white-flag dolphins.

The white-flag dolphin, described by experts as a "living fossil" and native to China, and some other rare aquatic animals are facing the threat of extinction due to the deterioration of their living environment in the middle and lower reaches of the river, said the official.

Experts believe that the dolphin's total population is less than 100 in the Yangtze, the third longest river in the world.

Located in Tongling County, the center set up by China's State Environmental Protection Administration in cooperation with the Tongling White-flag Dolphin Reserve covers a 421-km Yangtze section in Anhui.

Experts believe the center will serve as a base for the protection of bio-diversity in the middle and lower reaches and for related research.

The official said the center is working hard to win funding and technical support from international environmental organizations.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2003)