The past 70 years have witnessed remarkable ecological progress in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, which has become one of the regions in the world with the best eco-environment, said a senior regional official on Saturday, May 22.

Over 60 laws and regulations have been promulgated to protect the eco-environment in Tibet, said Wu Yingjie, secretary of Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China, at a press conference in Beijing.

He said the regulations on developing ecological highlands in Tibet, the region's first comprehensive regulation on ecological civilization, came into effect on May 1.

The central government has also allocated funds to Tibet in this field. According to a white paper on Tibet's development, which was issued on May 21, a total of 81.4 billion yuan (about $12.7 billion) had been invested in Tibet's eco-environment protection by 2020.

As a result, 11 national nature reserves, four national scenic spots, three national geological parks, nine national forest parks and 22 national wetland parks have been built in the region, with protected natural areas accounting for almost 40 percent of the region's land area, Wu said.

(Cover image via CFP.)

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