100m yuan loan established in Xianju to protect wildlife

chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2022-11-24

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The Xianju Wildlife Protection Association is granted a loan worth 100 million yuan by a local bank to protect wildlife on Nov 18. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The Xianju Wildlife Protection Association was recently granted a loan of 100 million yuan ($14.29 million) by a local bank to protect wildlife.

The fund, the first of its kind in East China's Zhejiang province, can be applied by an individual or enterprise in the city for wildlife protection and ecological conservation.

An individual can apply for a loan of up to 300,000 yuan, while the amount for an enterprise is capped at 1 million yuan.

Li Jianping, president of the Xianjiu Wildlife Protection Association, said that the fund will effectively stimulate people's enthusiasm for participating in wildlife protection and further promote the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

In December 2018, the Xianju Wildlife Protection Association was established. The association, which currently has 110 members, has in the past three years rescued 315 pangolins, kestrels and other State-level protected animals.

Earlier this year, Li Mengwen, a member of the Chinese women's football team, was appointed as the county's wildlife protection ambassador.

Xianju has achieved notable accomplishments in biodiversity conservation in recent years.

The county covers an area of 2,000 square kilometers, 79.57 percent of which is covered by forests that are rich in biological resources. Xianju has also been hailed by experts as a "natural plant gene bank" and a "museum of animals and plants" in East China's Zhejiang province.

To date, 2,786 species of plants and animals, including 50 species of wild animals and 32 species of wild plants under State key protection, have been found in Xianju.

Xianju has since 2016 banned all hunting of wild animals and prohibited activities that interfere with the reproduction and habitats of wildlife.