HAIKOU /China/, March 30. /TASS/. Authorities in the resort city of Sanya on the southern coast of Hainan Island plan to step up efforts to increase forested areas, Chen Jimin, head of the Provincial Forestry Department , said.
"Sanya will focus on key afforestation issues and the difficulties and obstacles that hinder its development," he was quoted as saying by the Sanya Daily newspaper. "We will do our best to make our city a model of ecology."
According to forester Deng Zhuang, cited by the newspaper, Hainan villagers "have recently become much more aware of the problem of protecting forests. When illegal logging is discovered, they have turned to the authorities to stop the violations."
The green growth campaign in urbanized areas and Sanya's outskirts is expected to significantly improve the quality of life of local residents and create new opportunities for tourism development.
In December 2020, the Hainan Forestry Department announced the formation of a multi-level system of forest wardens, officials who will be responsible for the preservation of green spaces. The new control mechanism will be finalized by 2025, and will be extended to representatives of both middle and higher management levels. The new program is expected to protect the tropical forests of Hainan's free trade port from illegal logging and barbaric destruction.
Since Hainan province was established in 1988, the area of forests on the island has grown more than 1.6 times, to 21,300 square kilometers, according to statistics. As a result, it now occupies about two-thirds of the island.