China's Jinggang Mountains join UNESCO biosphere program

The Jinggang Mountains, known as the "cradle of the Chinese revolution," have joined the UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program as the first reserve added to the network in east China's Jiangxi province, local forestry authorities said Tuesday.

The subtropical mountains, along with the Niubeiliang Nature Reserve in northwest china's Shaanxi province, were added to the network at a MAB meeting held from July 9 to 13 in Paris, according to an official with the forestry bureau in the city of Ji'an, home of the Jinggang Mountains.

The MAB program, started in 1971, aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of the relationships between people and their environment.

Jingang has a mid-subtropical humid monsoon climate and diverse landscape, according to an introduction on the UNESCO website.

Covering 213.5 square km, the mountain forests are well-preserved and are home to more than 40 state-protected animals.

The Jinggang Mountains are also a popular historic attraction, as more than 100 historical sites linked to China's revolution are located there. The Communist Party of China set up its first "revolutionary base" on the mountains during the 1920s and 1930s.

The UNESCO network includes 598 reserves in 117 countries, including 30 reserves in China.