Birds at the Xianghai National Nature Reserve in Northeast China's Jilin province will soon have more room to live, thanks to an ecological protection relocation project implemented by provincial authorities.

To better protect the reserve's wetland, Jilin has decided to move people out of the core area, about 3,600 hectares of farmland that's home to more than 200 households containing about 800 people.

The local government will compensate residents for the loss of their houses, farmland and other related facilities, and a special zone has been set aside for the construction of new houses in Baicheng, where the reserve is located.

The relocation process is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The reserve, located in the west of Jilin, covers an area of more than 100,000 hectares, and plays host to a large number of rare birds, such as red-crowned cranes and oriental white storks. Ecological improvements in recent years have resulted in a steady rise in bird numbers.

In 2009, there were 70 red-crowned cranes in the reserve, but now the number is 130, and nearly 1,000 swans arrived at Xianghai in the spring to make it their new habitant.

One of the biggest threats to the wetland is the encroachment of farmland and illegal farming, said An Guiwu, the mayor of Baicheng.

"It has seriously affected the living environment of these birds. The relocation project will effectively reduce the damage caused by human activity," he said.

The environmental improvement will result in a growing number of birds arriving at Xianghai, he added. "It will be a huge boost for eco-tourism."

Xianghai is not an isolated case. Heilongjiang province, which neighbors Jilin, is also moving more than 5,000 farmers from the Zhalong National Nature Reserve, which is home to a large number of wild birds.

In a report delivered to the local people's congress earlier this year, Jiang Chaoliang, governor of Jilin, said the relocation work at Xianghai would be a priority for Baicheng authorities this year.