"We have done very well during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000) in social and economic development, and we should continue our endeavors in the next five years," Li Jiating, governor of the province, said.

He said that during the last five years the number of natural protection reserves in Yunnan reached 121, covering 6.1 percent of the province.

By the end of 2000, the province had planted trees on 2 million hectares of land. Forest coverage increased 3.7 percentage points compared with 1995.

During the last five years, the birth rate in the province dropped by 1.25 per thousand.

In the countryside, more than 5 million farmers have shaken off poverty, according to Li.

In cities and county towns, residents' disposable income increased by 2,354 yuan (US$290) and the living space per capita rose by 3.4 square meters.

For the next five years, the governor pointed to three top priorities. "First, we should continue family planning policy so that the province's birth rate will drop to 9.51 per thousand by 2005," Li said.

The next will be the "Digital Lands Project" which makes full use of information technologies to carry out natural resource researches.

He said environmental protection also topped the province's future agenda.

"The province is renowned already for its natural attractions - there's no doubt that we should do more to protect our environment," Li said.

(China Daily 02/21/2001)