The Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday signed a contract with the Guangdong provincial and Guangzhou city governments to jointly construct a world-class botanical garden in Guangzhou within five to 10 years.
According to the contract, the three parties will equally contribute to a 300 million yuan (US$36.14 million) investment for expansion of the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou.
The contract was signed by Lu Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Governor Lu Ruihua and Shen Bainian, executive vice-mayor of Guangzhou, in the provincial government headquarters in Guangzhou yesterday.
After the expansion, the South China Botanical Garden will become an important research venue unrivalled in China and Asia, according to Lu.
"It is expected to become the best botanical garden in Asia and a world-class garden in the next few years," Lu added.
Lu invited famous botanists from around the world to help map out a blueprint for expansion.
Governor Lu Ruihua said the construction and expansion of the South China Botanical Garden is significant to the protection of Guangdong's ecology and will contribute to Guangdong's sustainable economic growth.
The botanical garden will add a scientific research venue as well as famous scenic spot to Guangdong, which is known for its fast economic development, the governor said.
Expansion of the subtropical garden will include the construction of Asia's biggest specimen hall, expected to house more than 1.5 million plant specimens, a modern greenhouse to nurse more than 2,500 different kinds of tropical plants, a center to cultivate those plants that are becoming extinct and a plant exhibition area.
Located in the northeast part of Guangzhou, the South China Botanical Garden now covers an area of more than 300 hectares. But only 45 hectares of the garden have been developed.
About 100 hectares of the garden will be open to the public after the expansion, while the remaining 200 hectares will be reserved for scientific research.
The garden, which goes back more than 46 years, will feature more than 6,000 different kinds of plants. The garden has currently collected more than one million plant specimens, the second largest collection in China.
(China Daily December 18, 2002)
