A glimpse at China's first tropical rain forest park in Hainan

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Located in south China, Hainan Province has plans to create an ecological zone, a senior environmental official said at a news conference on Monday.

The plans to create a national ecological civilization zone along with Hainan Tropical Rainforest Pilot National Park were approved on Wednesday.

Aerial view of the Qizi Bay in Hainan Province, south China. /VCG Photo

Hainan has been vigorously promoting construction of the national rainforest park since last year, said Xia Fei, director of the Hainan Forestry Department.

Aerial view of the Yinggeling National Nature Reserve. /VCG Photo

"The proposed tropical rainforest park would cover more than 4,400 square kilometers, with 39 townships in nine cities and counties, all located in the middle of the tropical island."

The pilot systems for the rainforest national park are expected to be completed by 2020.

Before Hainan, China had set up 10 pilot national parks, involving 12 provinces and cities. Hainan was chosen for its value as a biological gene bank, according to Xia.

As the only tropical island province in China, Hainan boasts rare rainforest resources, ecosystems, and biodiversity. It has more than 4,000 vascular plants, including more than 600 that are unique to Hainan, and more than 20 species of rare plants that are under state protection.

Macaques at the Macaque Island in Lingshui County, Hainan Province, south China. /VCG Photo

Hainan has drawn a red line of special protection around 27.3 percent of its land area and 35.1 percent of its sea area, where construction that would harm the local environment is strictly forbidden, said Ding Shijiang, director of the Hainan Provincial Natural Resources and Planning Department.

(Top image shows Dadaozhou National Nature Reserve in Wanning City, Hainan Province, south China. via VCG photo)

Source(s): China Daily