SANYA, June 5./TASS/. This month the Hainan authorities are preparing to submit a project on the creation of the National Rainforest Park on the island. According to Xinhua, the park will become a part of the Chinese authorities' program for turning Hainan into a "national eco-friendly and civilized pilot zone."

In order to implement those plans, the local authorities will have to make a great effort in the field of environmental protection. It is assumed that by 2035 the quality of the environment and the efficiency of resources use on Hainan would reach global levels.

Local authorities set the task to ensure good ecology by 2020, to maintain coverage of the province with forests at 62%, and also to clean up to 95% of all the main rivers and lakes on the island.

"The plan contains specific indicators for the quality of air, sea, rivers, and forests in order to ensure better environment on Hainan," said Professor Ge Chengjun of the Hainan University.

Rainforest

The rainforest park covers an area of ​​about 4,400 square kilometers, which is about one-seventh of the entire territory of the Hainan Province. This forest is home to more than 200 rare and endangered species. The project was launched in January 2018 in order to preserve and restore local ecosystem, as well as to achieve a balance in the process of social and economic development of the adjacent territories.

Li and Miao ethnic minority groups traditionally inhabit the tropical reinforests. Many people are suffering from poverty. Xiong Anjing, deputy director of the provincial government research office, believes that "the national park will help explore and institutionalize ways to protect natural resources while eradicating poverty".

"Hainan's economy is still underdeveloped. The government needs to find more ways to convert the ecological advantages into economic prosperity," said Wang Yiwu, Dean of the Hainan Institute of Modern Management.

Hainan is in a good place for restructuring industries, and developing tourism, tropical agriculture, modern service industries, and high-tech industries, he added.