
A giant panda sits on tree at snow-covered Shenshuping base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve on January 17, 2021 in Wenchuan County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province of China. Photo Credit: VCG via Getty Images
Environment ChinaBiodiversity Thrives: New Unified Park System to Be World’s Largest
With its five areas covering some 230,000 square kilometers and harboring close to 30% of the country’s biodiversity, China’s national park system will become the world’s largest yet and a model to follow in other countries.
The new structure will “break the barriers set by different government departments and local interest groups” and “build a unified and efficient management mechanism” for its ecosystems, says Li Chunliang, deputy director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China’s first designated area for ecological protection, was set up in 1982 and since then, at least 1,895 have been established, covering 18% of the second-largest country in the world. The Sanjiangyuan National Park – the largest which accounts for four-fifths of the park system – covers 190,700 square kilometers, and the smallest park was already a Unesco World Heritage site. Close to 10% of the world’s plant species and 14% of its animal species – among others iconic animals like the giant panda, golden monkey, and Siberian tiger – are found on China’s territory. By being “umbrella” species, they help other animals and plants that live in the same area.