China has launched a crackdown on the illegal use of woodlands for development projects.
The investigation, the seventh of its kind, will focus on woodlands felled for development and golf courses illegally established by local authorities.
Forestry authorities will also examine unapproved uses of woodland and illegal transfers for non-forestry uses.
China’s Forestry Law states that any development taking up woodlands needs approval by forestry authorities and a fee is charged for replanting of an area equivalent to the one being destroyed. Projects using more than 10ha must be approved by the State Forestry Administration (SFA).
The SFA says some local authorities have been driven by profit to become involved in illegal woodland projects.
