China will invest a record-high 100 billion yuan (US$12 billion)
over the next 10 years to convert farming fields to forests and
grasslands, resources with the State Forestry Administration said.
The drive will keep pace with the western development strategy to
control soil erosion and improve the ecological environment of the
west, said Li Yucai, vice-director of the State Forestry
Administration.
The project will be implemented in 1,108 counties in 24 provinces
or regions in central and western
China, involving some 300 million farmers, Li said.
The strategy plans to transform 5.3 million hectares of farmland
into grasslands and forest. After completion of the project, soil
erosion will be under control in some 36.7 million hectares of
land, and forest coverage will be increased by 3.9 percent,
according to the official.
With constant effort, the three-year pilot project has made great
achievements, setting a sound foundation for the kick-off of the
project, according to the administration.
Since 1999, 20 provinces, regions or cities in central and western
areas have participated in the pilot project, accomplishing the
reforestation of some 1.7 million hectares of cultivated
farmlands.
Returning farmland to forests and grasslands has been a top
priority of local government in these regions.
After three years of experimentation, incentive policies and
measures have been designed to provide food and living subsidies to
compensate those families that are involved in the project.
A
total of 663 million kg of food and 450 million yuan (US$54
million) have been provided to the farmers in Shaanxi, Gansu and
Sichuan provinces, where the pilot project was first launched in
1999.
Apart from the farm-to-forest (grassland) conversion project, the
State Forestry Administration is also involved with five other
major projects: the natural forests protection project; the "Three
North" forest shelter belt project in north, northwest and
northeast China; prevention and control of desertification in
surrounding areas of Beijing;
wildlife protection and nature reserve construction project; and
the construction of forestry industrial bases with an emphasis on
fast-growing and high-yielding vegetation in key areas.
(China
Daily 10/08/2001)