The Three Gorges Botanical Garden of Rare Plants was closed last month for financial reasons.
Thousands of rare plants in the reserve which had been transplanted from their original habitat before it was submerged by the reservoir are now facing the danger of perishing because of bureaucratic indifference.
When the Three Gorges hydroelectric project was officially launched 15 years ago, the government promised that the adverse impact on the environment would be minimized. But it seems the relevant authorities have done a poor job in preserving rare plants and maintaining biodiversity in the reservoir area.
It is unfair to accuse the government of inaction. The central authorities did make some moves. The Three Gorges Office under the State Council allocated funds to finance scientific research for "rescuing rare species" and the State Forestry Bureau appropriated 3.13 million yuan ($391,250) to the Three Gorges Botanical Garden of Rare Plants. And Premier Wen Jiabao gave special instructions on how the work should be carried out.
However, there seems to have been no serious implementation of the instructions on the part of local authorities. In its five years of existence, the botanical garden has been maintained by one individual not connected with the government and the 20-plus workers he personally employed.
Xiang Xiufa, a former fish pond farmer, gave up his own business to launch the botanical garden in 2002. Supported by China's top botanists, the garden received funds from the State Forestry Bureau for its first stage of development. The money was soon used up in constructing the garden's infrastructure. Xiang sold his fishing business with its 300,000 yuan ($37,500) annual income and part of his residence to pay for transplanting wild plants and paying the workers' wages.
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