The Chinese authorities have launched a long-term project to combat environmental damage in the valleys of its two largest rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow River.

The scheme, announced by the ministry of forestry, proposes the planting of twenty-six million hectares of forest over the next thirty years in an attempt to combat water pollution and soil erosion.

The cost of the project is estimated at more than twenty-five billion dollars.

A pilot programme of reforestation is due to begin in selected areas later this year.

The BBC Beijing correspondent says the authorities face a huge task as they try to balance their aim of protecting the environment with their desire for rapid economic growth.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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