Nation mulling guideline on conservation of biodiversity

Environment minister tells meeting that 18% of land is under protection

In a move to ramp up biodiversity conservation, China is mulling a guideline to incorporate the issue as a key task in the 2021-25 plans of government bodies and regions, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said on Wednesday.

Biodiversity decline has been essentially curbed in China, Huang said at a forum held in Beijing during the annual general meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development.

Established in 1992, the council is a high-level international advisory body comprising officials and experts from China and abroad－with some joining via video link－who provide policy advice to the Chinese government. Huang is executive vice-chairman of the council.