In a bid to include the habitats of its giant pandas on the World Natural Heritage List, Sichuan Province has shut down 78 mines and polluting firms, suspended construction of three power stations and completed the technological renovation of 180 enterprises.

The measures, motivated by the province's application to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List in early 2001, have resulted in a better environment for the endangered species, said Cui Guangyi, deputy secretary-general of the Sichuan provincial government.

According to the Sichuan Provincial World Heritage Office, the central government has agreed to name the panda habitats as the country's sole nominee for inclusion on the list at the 30th session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which will be held in July 2006.

Sichuan hopes that its efforts will pay off when its application is put to the vote by experts from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Cui said in an interview with China Daily.

The Qionglai Mountains in Sichuan, which include the Wolong Nature Reserve, Four Girls' Mountain and Jiajin Mountain, is the focus of the application.

The area, which covers 9,510 square kilometres, consists of eight nature reserves and nine scenic spots, and is home to about 300 wild giant pandas, Cui said.

Hailed as a living fossil, the giant panda, whose image was adopted as the logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature, has been lazing around for about 3 million years. But despite this impressive history, only 1,590 giant pandas remain in the wild, 76 per cent of which are scattered in Sichuan's mountainous areas.

As a result of changes in natural conditions and the impact of humans, the natural habitats of the giant panda have been fragmented, meaning their ability to cope with the changing environment, breed and resist disease has dwindled.

These alarm bells aroused the attention of the World Wide Fund for Nature, and resulted in Sichuan's application.

Source: China Daily