CHINA'S giant panda habitat in Sichuan Province was named on the World Heritage List (WHL) at the 30th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Vilnius, Lithuania, yesterday (July 12).

The entry, which was China's 35th on the list, was said to have greatly enriched the WHL. WHC said it thanked the Chinese Government for its tremendous effort in protecting the site of bio-diversity.

The habitat covers an area of 9,245 square kilometers between Dadahe River and Minjiang River in Sichuan Province. It provides an ideal surrounding for the rare giant pandas living in the wild. James Harkness, former China director of the World Wildlife Fund, said the panda's territory was one of the most critical regions for bio-diversity conservation in the world. It contains many rare and endangered animals and plant species.

Wang Fengwu, a member of the Chinese delegation to the meeting, said China had spent 20 years making efforts to include the panda habitat in the WHL.

The application of the panda habitat to the WHL had been on top of the agenda of 36 other applications worldwide.

The entry also means the habitat will be protected under both Chinese and international laws.

Editor: Wing