The eco-civilization system reform continues to help China build a beautiful country as state-owned forest farms have witnessed major changes and nine provincial regions have carried out trials to build national parks.

The State Council issued two circulars in the first half of 2015 concerning reform plans and directives, stressing the importance of protecting natural resources and the ecosystem — and also focusing on improving people’s livelihood.

Previously, forest rangers of state-owned forest farm in Qingyang, Gansu province earned 7,000-8,000 yuan ($1,091-$1,247) a year and lived in shanty houses built almost half a century ago. After the reform, the livelihood of forest rangers has dramatically changed, as they now earn a 35,000-yuan annual salary and have moved into newly-built homes with new facilities.

At the same time, financial support for state-owned forest farms has been strengthened. For example, starting from this year, Zhejiang province will provide 100-million yuan in annual funding for the construction of infrastructure in state-owned forest farms. Hunan province is set to allocate a total of 50 million yuan for road construction in state-owned forest farms. And Shanxi province plans to allocate 20 million yuan for facilities and infrastructure construction in such farms.

Another major change concerns the ban on logging activities in key state-owned forest farms. On March 31, loggers at a state-owned forest farm, Wulikuma in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, handed over their logging equipment, marking the end of a 60-year logging history in Greater Khingan Mountains.

In addition, the government plans to introduce national park management mode. As a pilot region, Yunnan province has carried out a trial to build a national park called “Potatso,” in Shangri-La, which will ensure the comprehensive protection of the ecosystem.

The government also decided to build national parks in nine provincial regions, including Beijing and Yunnan.