China hires 500,000 impoverished people as forest rangers

GUIYANG -- More than 500,000 people living under China's poverty line have been employed as government-paid forest rangers through ecological poverty-relief programs, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Zhang Jianlong, director of the administration, said at the administration's work meeting held in Libo County, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Friday, that forestry authorities nationwide had recruited the forest rangers from the impoverished population.

In addition, more than 1.6 million poor households have received government subsidies for giving up their reclaimed land to forest and grassland.

For example, the forestry government in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture has made all people in 195 impoverished households of the Dulong Ethnic Minority Group ecological rangers, to get income for protecting forest in their native land, helping them escape poverty.

"Local governments should tighten up personnel management of the forest rangers to make sure people in need are covered by the policy through the jobs," Zhang said.

He said the administration planned to add 300,000 more forest and grassland rangers nationwide and provide professional skill training to the work team.