The Bank of China has pledged at least 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) to create a massive giant panda conservation park in southwestern Sichuan province, the forestry ministry said Thursday.
BEIJING — The Bank of China has pledged at least 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) to create a massive giant panda conservation park in southwestern Sichuan province, the forestry ministry said Thursday.
The Sichuan branch of the central bank signed an agreement with the provincial government to finance the Giant Panda National Park’s construction by 2023. The park aims to bolster the local economy while providing the endangered animals with an unbroken range in which they can meet and mate with other pandas in the interest of enriching their gene pool.
The ministry said the park will measure 2 million hectares (5 million acres), making it more than two times the size of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
