China marks 25% of its territory for environmental protection

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment was tasked with identifying areas in need of protection a decade ago, when the government acknowledged that decades of "irrational development" had put its ecological safety under severe strain.

Cui Shuhong, a director from the ministry's Nature and Ecology Conservation Department, told a news conference on Wednesday (Jul 7) that "red lines" had been drawn around zones that served a major ecological function, and areas that were sensitive and vulnerable along with important regions for biodiversity.

"We will delineate and strictly guard the ecological protection red lines ... and rein in various violations of the ecological environment that harm the vital interests of the people," Cui said.

In 2017, the central government made clear that local government officials were responsible for protecting designated areas, and later ordered an ongoing crack down on industrial plants, farms, piggeries and even residential houses built within the red lines.A tree is lifted with a crane before being placed on a truck at Toudunying state-owned commercial forest estate in a village near the edge of the Gobi desert, on the outskirts of Wuwei, Gansu province, China, April 16, 2021.