Shenzhen residents living in areas defined as ecological control areas by the government will be relocated to different parts of the city, according to a regulation on ecological protection effective this month.

The ecological control areas include first-level water source preservation areas, scenic spots, natural reserves, farmland protection areas, forests and country parks, hills with a gradient of over 25 percent, major rivers, wetlands, reservoirs, islands and high land.

Roads, parks and tourist facilities cannot be built in the areas without proper planning and public notification, according to the regulation.

Shenzhen plans to become one of the first ecological garden cities in China by September 2006, according to the latest government gazette.

In order to qualify for the title, the government has compiled a series of targets, including per capita green area of over 12 square meters, and an urban heat island effect of less than 2.5 degrees Celsius. That second standard means the summer temperatures in downtown areas will be at most 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than suburbs.

The plan also requires diversified species and a well-protected ecological system.

(Shenzhen Daily November 4, 2005)