Vice-premier stresses biodiversity protection

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang has called for more efforts to protect China's biodiversity and promote green development as an approach to improving the environment and people's living standards.

Li made the remarks on Monday at a meeting of the Chinese National Committee for Diversitas, according to a news release issued on Tuesday.

Li said biodiversity protection is a "significant and pressing" task for China, as the country boasts some of the richest biodiversity in the world, but at the same time faces the most serious threats in that regard.

"Biodiversity protection should focus on the construction of nature reserves and biogenetic resource storage. Any non-protective activity should be forbidden in bio-sensitive and fragile areas, as well as biofunctional regions," Li said.

The committee, set up in June 2011, consists of 26 government departments and serves as a leading group to guide and coordinate the country's biodiversity protection policies. Li is head of the committee.

Project developers should fully consider biodiversity, and policies concerning financial support and tax reductions should be mapped out to make up for the potential loss of local industries and individuals in protected areas, Li said.

Li urged strengthening international biodiversity exchanges while encouraging both enterprises and civilians to participate in China's protection drive.

An action blueprint for China that was created as part of a 10-year UN biodiversity project, as well as a work plan for the implementation of China's biodiversity protection, were discussed during the meeting.