The television tower on the Golden Summit of Mount Emei in Sichuan Province is being dismantled to better protect the vegetation on the mountain famous for its Buddhist culture.

The electromagnetic radiation from the tower is believed to be detrimental to the growth of nearby plants. Mount Emei was named a World Natural and Cultural Heritage site in 1996 by the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Song Yunhuai, the project leader, said the decision to remove the tower from the summit, called Jinding in Chinese, showed local authorities had taken a further step in environ-mental protection.

More than 10 research institutions have been established to protect the mountain's biological diversity including a center for plant disease control, a seed strain nursing center and a biology laboratory.

Boasting numerous geological features and fossils, more than 3,200 species of plants and another 2,300 types of wildlife are found on Mount Emei. The area has long been known as an "ancient kingdom of plants and animals," and more recently as a "geological museum."

The management commission of the mountain has zoned off an area of 154 square kilometers as "A-level preserve," -- only scientists and researchers are allowed entry.

Some 500 farming house-holds in the A-level preserve have been relocated, and the 17,000 strong farming population currently living in the scenic area will also be moved out. The relocation plan is waiting the approval of local authorities.

According to Song, more than 2,000 hectares of lands on the edge of the scenic area have been reforested since 1999. The commission also has limited the number of visitors to the mountain within 1.1 million a year.

(eastday.com August 29, 2003)