{"id":1449,"date":"2016-12-22T16:44:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T00:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/aboutus\/1449\/good-news-we-shut-down-illegal-mining-in-chinas-intact-forest-landscapes\/"},"modified":"2019-11-23T22:08:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T06:08:04","slug":"good-news-we-shut-down-illegal-mining-in-chinas-intact-forest-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/blog\/1449\/good-news-we-shut-down-illegal-mining-in-chinas-intact-forest-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Good news! We shut down illegal mining in China’s Intact Forest Landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Back in July, we revealed<\/a> rampant illegal mining in one of China\u2019s few remaining Intact Forest Landscapes. Now, the mines have been shut down and new protections put in place.<\/em><\/div>\n
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Image credit: Birding Beijing\/Terry Townshend<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This is Shangri-la, in the northwest of China\u2019s Yunnan Province. It\u2019s one of the most biologically diverse places in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a9<\/span>Intact Forest Landscape scenery on the road to Sangdugele tungsten and molybdenum ore mine. Greenpeace\/Xiao Shibai<\/em><\/div>\n
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Forests like this are known as \u2018Intact Forest Landscapes\u2019 (IFLs). They\u2019re incredibly rare and precious; complex hives of biodiversity and important carbon stores, a result of centuries of unharried growth, untouched by human activity.<\/p>\n

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The area is home to the rare and severely endangered Yunnan snub nosed monkey. Greenpeace\/Xiao Shibai<\/em><\/div>\n
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However, these unique landscapes are under threat. Now, only 3.34% of China\u2019s forests are IFLs. China has lost 490,000 hectares in the last 13 years alone, over half of which was located in northern Yunnan.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year<\/a>, Greenpeace East Asia investigated the destruction of IFLs, with disturbing results. We discovered that 24 mines operating in the IFL areas, 3 of which were in a UNESCO heritage site.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rogue mining in this UNESCO site in SW China is harming some of world\u2019s most precious forest https:\/\/t.co\/CjK0InzrXE<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/BhdP2Bttd7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Greenpeace East Asia (@GreenpeaceEAsia) July 27, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n