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NANNING, Aug. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese and Slovenian experts are
working in cooperation on two projects to find new ways to develop and restore
the environment of southwestern China's eroded limestone regions.
The two projects are the second phase to revitalize and re-cult
ivate karst
regions, areas featured eroded limestone geology that results in numerous caves
and fissures, generally unsuitable for intensive agriculture.
Plans include introducing environmentally friendly systems for animal
breeding and research on cave environments.
The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology has listed the projects for
cooperation between the Chinese and Slovenian governments.
Both China and Slovenia boast a large area of karst mountainous regions.
In China, karst mountainous regions extend from south China's Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, where local residents
have on the whole remained needy due to serious soil erosion and a fragile
ecological system.
Guilin, a well-known scenic city in Guangxi region, has been selected as
the site for implementation of the program, said an official from the science
and technology bureau of Guilin city.
Under the program, which will be carried out in three years from 2003 to
2006, beef farms in Guilin will be used as fields for experiments where experts
from Slovenia will use their successful experience in developing farming and
animal husbandry in karst mountainous areas.
Local farms in karst areas will become three-dimensional ecological
agricultural demonstration zones featuring animal rearing, scientific research
and ecological restoration.
So far, approximately 14.7 hectares of herding grass and trees have been
grown for the program, said the official, who noted that animals such as cattle,
sheep and horses would be reared for scientific research.
The research on cave environmental system will be focusing on changes in
cave environment caused by tourists and will provide the basis for future
environmental protection and scientific administration in cave tourism, said
Chen Weihai, an associate research fellow with the Guilin-based Lithology and
Geology Institute of Chinese Academy of Geology.
China is one of the leading countries in the world where caves abound and
in Guangxi alone, there are 100,000 caves. Enditem
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