Rainforest protected in south China island

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 ◆ Rainforest protected in south China island

China has set up a national nature reserve to protect rainforest in Hainan, the country's second largest island surrounded by the South China Sea.

The largest and best preserved tropical rainforest in China is found in the reserve covering 20,000 hectares in total.

About 2,800 plants grow in the reserve, 31 of which are rare and endangered species. Vegetation is divided into seven categories, ranging from plants at beach level to those growing on the reserve's highest mountain at 1,412 meters.

Living there are some 68 species of mammals, 215 bird species, 38 amphibians, 50 reptiles and over 4,000 insect species, of which 449 species are butterflies.

As the tropical area with the highest biological diversity in China, the reserve is regarded as a gene bank for northern tropical flora and fauna.

The Chinese government in 1976 founded a provincial nature reserve in Jianfengling, a mountainous area where the rainforest mainly lies, and has now upgraded it to national status.

A number of international organizations, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), have carried out environmental protection projects in the reserve.