China will officially establish several new national parks in the second half of next year, according to a statement released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration on December 5, 2019.

So far, China has built 10 pilot national parks throughout the country, covering 220,000 square kilometers in 12 provinces, since the introduction of the national park system in 2015.

Progress has been seen over the years. Take Giant Panda National Park for instance, the project integrated 81 nature reserves spanning three provinces since the pilot program. Consequently, the management of giant pandas' once divided habitats has been unified.

The national park system aims to end the segmented management of a nature reserve that covers multiple provinces so that the integrity of wild animals' habitat can be guaranteed.

In 2020, 10 pilot parks will undergo a series of assessments and evaluations before the Chinese government issues final approval for them to officially become national parks.

(Cover image via VCG, video and text edited by Zhang Hao.)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)