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Rainforest National Park Institute to be set up on Hainan

HAIKOU, December 9. /TASS/. According to the Hainan Daily, the Hainan authorities intend to set up a Rainforest National Park Institute.

According to the publication, the institute will be tasked with providing technical and intellectual support, which will ensure better protection and sustainable development of tropical forests' resources in the province. The establishing of the Rainforest National Park Institute is an important part of the Hainan authorities' initiative to turn the island into a "national eco-friendly and civilized pilot zone." Currently, according to the newspaper's sources,the authorities have drafted plands to protect the environment, develop tourism and build the necessary infrastructure in the area. In November the authorities launched the Hainan National Rainforest Park.

The park's creation project was launched in January 2019 to preserve and restore local ecosystem, as well as reach a balance in social and economic development of the surrounding territories. Soon the park is expected to occupy an area of about 4,300 square kilometers, about one seventh of the entire territory of the Hainan Island. It has become a home to more than 200 rare and endangered species.

Hainan authorities expect that the creation of the National Rainforest Park will draw a great number of both Chinese and foreign tourists to the island. According to official statistics, Hainan's total rainforest area in 2018 exceeded 659,000 ha. Since the 1990s, authorities have completely banned logging on the island, which allowed to create large natural reserves protected by the government.

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