Mountains, glaciers, rare plants and animals are some of the beauteous wonders of the Three Parallel Rivers National Park, which southwest China's Yunnan Province is hoping to see listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The China National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization submitted the necessary documents to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee early this year for the park to become a heritage site. UN experts have planned to visit Yunnan for a spot survey next month.
Believed to be the largest state park in China, the Three Parallel Rivers National Park comprises nine nature reserves and 10 scenic spots in the northwestern part of Yunnan, where the Nujiang, Lancang and Jinsha rivers run parallel to each other from north to south. It covers a total area of 3.4 million hectares.
The region features mountain ranges, rivers, glaciers and karst caves. It is home to 77 animals and 34 rare plants on the government protection list. Chinese experts believe the region meets the requirements of the world natural heritage.
The central and local governments have invested billions of yuan to plant trees and build water conservation projects to prevent the region from environmental deterioration.
(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2002)
