XINHUA is the official news agency of the People's Republic of China

LANZHOU (Nov. 20) XINHUA - Northwest China's Gansu Province has issued scores of regulations and established 34 nature reserves to protect its wild plants and animals.

Gansu's total area of nature reserves has reached 4.835 million hectares, 10.6 percent of the province's total.

The province has more than 4,000 wild plants and 723 wild animals. Of the total number, 36 plants and 112 animals are under state protection, and 79 animals have been listed as world-level rare animals.

More than 1,600 people are engaged in wild plant and animal protection and work in these nature reserves.

Forest police have been stationed in nature reserves and in places where there are many wild plants and animals to crack down on excessive killing and other harmful activities.

As a result of effective protection measures, the number of white-lipped deers has increased to 2,500 from some 300 in 1976.