Governance of Biodiversity Conservation in China And Taiwan

counties. Since 1979, four criteria have been used to evaluate applications
from regions for the formation of nature reserves:

● Typical natural ecosystems representing different natural zones;

● important survival and breeding area is for national first grade protected

animals, rare plant species or other wildlife with special protective

value;

● areas where natural ecosystems or species have been damaged, but are

of high value and should be restored or replaced; and

● natural and historic relics and important water catchments such as

geological sections, glacier relics, lava, hot springs, and fossil locations

with special protective value.^16

Proponents seeking provincial, municipal, or county-level reserve status apply
to the relevant local government for approval, and the report is submitted to
the supervising national ministry or agency for recording purposes. Advocates
seeking the status of a national-level reserve for a region undergo special
review by the Evaluation Committee of the National Nature Reserves chaired
by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). Additional

Protected areas and biodiversity conservation 105

Table 5.1 Type of nature reserves

Type Number by the Area by the end of
end of 2001 2001 (in 1000 hectares)

Natural Ecosystems
Forest 769 224.5
Prairie and meadow 33 35.1
Desert 10 362.4
Inland wetland and watershed 137 216.1
Ocean and coast 40 10.1

Wildlife
Wild animals 325 415.0
Wild plants 111 21.3

Natural Monuments
Geological formations 90 11.0
Paleontological 26 3.6

Total 1551 1299.1

Source: Department of Natural and Ecological Conservation, State Environmental Protection
Administration, 2002; reprinted in Xie et al. (2004), p. 282.