Reports from the Forestry Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region show that Tibet is to afforest an area of 441,600 Mu, and to close hillsides of 585,600 Mu to facilitate afforestation, with a total investment of over 500 mln yuan to speed up the establishment of an important national ecological security barrier in 2013.

According to Dong Yijun, director of the Afforestation and Greening Office of the Forestry Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Fifth Tibet Work Conference has clearly defined the strategic status of Tibet as an important national ecological security barrier, an important part of building a beautiful China.

In recent years, Tibet has strengthened ecological construction. It has built several national parks, namely, the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Park, the Namtso National Park and the Qomolangma National Park. The quality of water, air, sound, soil, radiation and ecological environment has also been kept in a sound condition in Tibet.

Dong Yijun said, the Tibetan government has also formulated an afforestation master plan along the Lhasa River, which plans to invest 10 bln yuan to carry out a 10-year overall afforestation project. This year the first 100 mln yuan will be invested in the pilot work of the project.

In 2013, the Tibet forestry system will focus on several projects, including the construction of ecological public welfare-forest in key areas, conversion of cropland to forest and afforestation in barren and wastelands.

Tibet is known as“the third pole”of the earth with an average elevation of 4,000 meters high. Experts believe that Tibet's unique geographical position and climate characteristics as well as diverse ecosystems and rich biological resources make it the regulator of climate change in Asia and even in the Northern Hemisphere.