A non-government organization, the China Wild Plant Conservation Association (CWPCA), was set up in Beijing Friday.

As a voluntary association of members engaged in wild plant protection, the organization will work to serve the country's wild plant protection cause, said Ma Fu, director of the newly-founded association.

Under the direction of state guidelines on wild plant protection, the association will unite social forces and promote knowledge of wild plants to improve public awareness.

The State Forestry Administration is in charge of the association and the professional work is guided by the State Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture.

China is home to 30,000 species of higher plants, about 10 percent of the world's total, in which about 57 percent or 17,300 are endemic.

China has set up a basic legal system and administrative management on wild plant protection and has been protecting wild plant habitats and saving endangered species, said Zhao Xuemin, deputy-director of the State Forestry Administration.

As an integrated part of nature, wild plants are crucial to the ecological balance and the setup of CWPCA completed the country's protection of natural resources at the 20 anniversary of China Wildlife Conservation Association, said Chen Runsheng, general-secretary of the CWPCA.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2003)