The South China Sea Project, a multi-national environmental
protection program conducted in the South China Sea, is
"progressing as scheduled," an UN environmental protection official
said Sunday.
John Pernetta, an official with the United Nations Environment
Program, made the remark at Beihai, a costal city in south China's
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He said that most of the work in
setting up demonstration areas has been finished as scheduled.
The South China Sea Project, funded by the Global Environment
Fund (GEF), is the largest ocean environment protection program in
the world, and enjoys the participation of 7 southeast Asian
countries, including China.
The program started in 2002 and is expected to be completed in
2008, with goals to provide examples to the world in how to protect
mangrove, coral reef, costal wetland, ocean animals and plants, and
to control pollution sources on shore by setting up a series of
demonstration zones.
(CRI March 18, 2007)