Focus on Arts and Ecology

Massive conversion of forest land for economic activities has slowed the growth of forest planting in China, said Director of the State Forestry Administration Zhang Jianlong. Speaking at a national forestry management work conference, Zhang stressed that forest conversion has become an outstanding problem in China’s forest management, reported the paper. China started reforming its forest rights system in 2003, breaking whole forests down into small patches and assigning them to individual villagers. This policy has left a window for big businesses to purchase large swaths of forest. Zhang added that over the past two years more than four thousand cases of illegal forest conversion were found in China, 70% of which were conversion for commercial development. He also urged the drafting of a law to protect natural forest be expedited.