Over 300 rare and endangered plant species will be relocated for
better protection and a regeneration center will be established in
southern China within two years, said the Botanical Garden of South
China.
Dr. Ren Hai, director of the garden, said that the new project
involves a total investment of 35 million yuan (US$4.2 million).
The capital will be used to set up reservation areas around the
plant's original habitats in collaboration with the local forestry
bureau and the agriculture bureau. More than 300 rare and
endangered plants will be resettled in the botanical garden for the
purpose of exhibition, research and regeneration. The total number
of plants in the Botanical Garden of South China will be increased
from 6,000 to 10,000. In addition, the garden will develop a
database for each species.
Southern China has many ancient plant species and Guangdong
Province has 66 species listed in the Plants Under State
Protection, including the black tree fern, the Chinese yew, the
Guangdong pine, and the Tsoong's tree (Tsoongiodendron odorum
Chun). The living environments for these plants have changed
dramatically and many rare plants are on the verge of extinction.
People have had to adopt new measures and the botanical garden will
become the new home for many of the plants. Dr. Ren Hai admitted
that the biggest challenge in moving the species to the garden is
creating a similar growth environment. For example, there are more
than 300 kinds of longans. All longans are closely linked to each
other and are affected by a variety of inherited characteristics.
We need to collect all possible kinds of longan for study and
research. If one kind happens to have a natural immunity to a
particular disease or pest, they can be cross bred with other kinds
through disease-resistant research.
China has one of world's largest reserves of plants. However, among
its 33,000 plants 15 to 20 percent are considered endangered
species.
The protection of China's plant species has been listed as one of
China's Knowledge Innovation Projects. There are three important
protection areas that have the richest varieties of plants. One is
southwest China's Xishuangbanna, another is south China, Hainan and
Guangdong, and the other is in the Qinlin Mountain Ranges in the
northwest.
(China.org.cn by Zhaomeng December 16, 2002)