China sets fresh conservation targets to protect plant and animal diversity

More forest, grassland and wetlands will come under national protection by 2035, according to the central government

The goals are realistic but much rests on how well implementation is monitored, observers say

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About 60 per cent of the country’s grasslands will be protected by 2035 as part of national targets backed by the State Council and the Communist Party. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:00pm, 20 Oct 2021Updated: 11:32pm, 20 Oct 2021

China plans to expand national forest protection by an area roughly the size of Italy by 2035 as part of a series of environmental commitments for the next decade and a half.

The plan was outlined in guidelines from the State Council and the Communist Party’s Central Committee issued on Tuesday and comes a week after international representatives met in the southwestern city of Kunming to find ways to reverse biodiversity loss.

Under the 2035 plan, the area of protected forest will grow by about 3 per cent from 2020 levels, protection for grasslands will expand from 56 per cent to 60 per cent, and 60 per cent of the country’s wetlands will be protected, up from half last year.

“By 2035, biodiversity conservation policies, regulations, systems and standards will be improved comprehensively… and typical ecosystems, national key and protected wildlife species, endangered wild animals and plants, and their habitats will be fully protected,” the notice said.

At the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Kunming last week, 195 countries and the European Union pledged to reverse biodiversity loss and protect 30 per cent of their land and sea areas by 2030.