China has decided to grow 60,000 hectares of mangrove forests along the southern coastal areas in the coming decade, and the decision is included in its plan to protect and restore its mangrove wetlands, said a noted Chinese tropical biological resources expert.
  
Dr. Wang Wenqing, secretary-general of the executive council for Mangrove Branch of China Ecological Society, made the remark while addressing the on-going China-ASEAN Workshop on Conservation of Tropical Biological Resources and Biotechnology Application held here in Haikou, capital of southern Hainan island province.
  
The mangrove is an unusual species which roots in estuarine mud and above ground.  It protects the coastal environment around gulfs and stream outlets.
  
The mangrove forest acreage all over China has reduced to 22,000 hectares from the original 50,000 hectares after the founding of new China in October 1949. This is attributed to land reclamation, aquaculture in offshore tidal zones, urbanization and port construction.
  
The vanishing of mangrove forests in large areas has led to a series of ecological problems, such as a decrease in aquatic creatures and an expansion of seashore wastelands, acknowledged Wang. "It is an urgent task to restore mangrove resources via large-scale planting."
  
With an even distribution, the mangrove forests are expected to effectively alleviate natural disasters, such as abnormally high tides and stormy waves, according to Wang.
  
The Chinese government has attached great importance to the protection of mangrove wetland resources. Up to now, the country has built five mangrove nature reserves where 90 percent of the country's mangrove forests are protected.
 
China-ASEAN Workshop on Conservation of Tropical Biological Resources and Biotechnology Application, which opened on Wednesday, will close on Saturday.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2004)