ChineseGovernmentwillInvest96.2BillionRMBonNaturalForestProtectionProjectZHOUShengxian,HeadofSFAannouncedonthe6Dec.2000,thattheNationalNaturalForestProtectionProjecthasbeenactivatedaftertwoyearsoftrial.Chinesegovernmentwillfundtheproject96.2billionYuanduringthenext10years.ZHOUShengxiansaid,intheNaturalForestandResourceProtectionProjectMeetingheldonthe6th,thatthecentralgovernmentwillinvest78.4billionYuan,matchedbyl7.8billionYuanfromthelocalgovernmentontheprojecttoprotectnaturalforestintheUpperYangtzeRiver,MiddleandUpperYellowRiver,andthestate-ownforestinNortheastChinaandInnerMongolia.Theprojectcoversseventeenprovinces,autonomyregionsandmunicipalsdirectlyunderthejurisdictionofcentralgovernmentwhichincludeYunnan,Sichuan,Shaanxi,Gansu,Jilin,andInnerMongolia.ChinesegovernmentwillprohibitlogginginnaturalforestareaintheUpperYangtzeRiver,MiddleandUpperYellowRiver,accordingtotheplanofprotectionproject.Atthesametime,logginginstate-ownforestareaswillbelargelyreducedinNortheastChinaandInnerMongolia.Astheresult,thetimberproductionwillreduce7.5millionm3.Chinesegovernmenthopesthatthroughtenyearsofeffort,61.18millionha.ofexistingnaturalforestinUpperYangtzeRiverandYellowRiverwouldbeprotected,saidZHOUShengxian,andthiswillresultinreductioninconsumptionofforestresourcesby61.5millionm3.Itwasestimatedthattilltheyear2010,theareaofforestandprairiewillincreaseabout14.60millionha.，theprairiecoverageratewillreach32.2percentfrom25.8percentatpresent;morethan8.60millionha.offorestwillbeadded,theforest用心爱心专心coverageratewillbe21.2percent,upfrom17.5percent.Hesaid,reducingtimberproductionandprohibitingloggingwillprobablyleadtounemploymentforsomeforestryworkersandreducetheincomeforlocalpeople.Thegovernmentwillprovidethemwithsubsidytomaintaintheirdailybasicneeds,andhelpthemfindotherjobs.Chinahasbeentakingactionsontrialprojectofnaturalforestandresourcesince1998.Recentlythegovernmenthasinvested10.1billionYuanontheproject.Thetimberproductionarereducedto2.3millionm3lastyearfrom8.6millionm3in1997;Theproductionfromthemainstate-ownedforestreducedto15.40millionm3lastyearfrom18.50millionm3in1997.HuashenNewspaper(2000-12-07)TranslatedbyCHENYing用心爱心专心
