The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the National Tourism Administration say they have approved the establishment of China's first pilot national park.

Tangwanghe national park is located at the south of Lesser Hinggan Mountains in Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, in the northeast of China. The park is composed of primeval forests and geological relics.

The vegetation coverage of the park is above 99.8 percent. The area is most famous for its virgin forests of Korean pines. The mixed broadleaved Korean pine forest here is the most well-preserved in Asia. And the geological relics are unique in China.

A national park is a reserve of land declared and owned by government, protected from human development and pollution. But the government says the park will have other benefits.

Wan Bentai, chief engineer of Ministry of Environmental Protection, said, "The construction of national parks upgrades the use of natural resources. It also enriches tourism, and promotes the tourism industry. To standardize the creation of national parks will benefit the protection of reserves. It will also boost China's tourism economy."

National parks are not only for tourism, but also provide space for scientific research and environmental protection education. So far, there are over 10-thousand national parks in over 200 countries and regions around the world.

(CCTV.com October 9, 2008)