Sand ilexes, an endangered species, have survived for three years since being planted in the State-level Baijitan Nature Reserve in north China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. "It marks a success in the artificially planting of the species in this country," said Wang Youde, the reserve's director.

Three years ago sand ilexes were planted in three mu (0.2 hectares) of wilderness near Lingwu City in an effort to improve the local environment.

Sand ilexes are evergreen shrubs under State second level protection. They are mainly distributed in sandy and desert areas of Russia and China's Gansu Province and Ningxia, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions.

Over the past decades, wild sand ilexes have been severely damaged due to trampling by herds. The success of the artificial planting has provided a new measure for the protection of the species as well as other endangered species in dry areas.

(China.org.cn May 14, 2004)