Experts explore ways to manage national parks

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China will consider regulations on national parks, as they have become hot destinations for the growing population of sports enthusiasts, experts said at a forum in Shanghai.

The forum, the First International Conference on National Parks and Outdoor Recreation, hosted recently by the Shanghai University of Sport, brought together around 200 experts and scholars from around the world for discussions on sustainable development of national parks and outdoor recreation.

China is actively promoting the construction of national parks. Since the launch of the first pilot national park in June 2017, Sanjiangyuan in northwestern Qinghai Province, the country has established nine pilot parks, with more to come, to form a nationwide layout by 2020.

As China explores how to run national parks, the country faces challenges such as relocating people who live within the boundaries of the pilot parks, according to Jin Peihua, vice-president of Zhejiang A&F University.

Arxan National Forest Park, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /VCG Photo

Challenges common to all national parks will need to be addressed, Jin said, such as protecting the environment while fulfilling people's demand for outdoor recreation.

"In the short term we need to regulate outdoor recreation, but in the long run we need to cultivate professionals," Dong Erwei, a professor at Shanghai University of Sport, said. "Sports universities should take the lead in outdoor recreation research and collaborate with other disciplines."

According to a report on the outdoor recreation market released by the China Outdoor Brand Alliance, sales of professional outdoor brands surged to 19 billion yuan (2.75 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017 from 100 million yuan in 2000 and seven billion yuan in 2010. The market is expected to reach 22.6 billion yuan by 2020.

(Cover: Sanjiangyuan National Park, northwest China's Qinghai Province. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): China Daily