To guide and advance the orderly progress of the construction of the Giant Panda National Park, Sichuan is stepping up efforts to research and formulate an interim management method for the Giant Panda National Park and will release it next month at the soonest, according to Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Forestry and Grassland (Sichuan Provincial Administration of the Giant Panda National Park).

　　Recently, the State Council approved the establishment of the Giant Panda National Park. "The interim here means the period after the official establishment of the Giant Panda National Park and before the introduction of relevant laws and regulations such as the National Park Law, the Nature Reserve Law, and the Regulations of Sichuan Province on the Management of the Giant Panda National Park." According to a person in charge from the Sichuan Provincial Administration of the Giant Panda National Park, as it is still unclear how long the interim will be, it is very necessary to introduce the interim management method to specify how the current work is done.

　　So far, the interim management method has been drafted which includes general principles, purposes, significance, scope of application, management principles, management organizations, functions and responsibilities, division of labor and coordination, fund guarantee and other aspects.

　　As stated clearly in the plan to establish the Giant Panda National Park, the planned area of the park is 22,000 square kilometers that covers the three provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. Notably, 19,300 square kilometers is in Sichuan, accounting for more than 87% of the total area and covering 98 townships, 20 counties (cities or districts) and seven cities (prefectures).

　　Besides, it is planned that the Giant Panda National Park will consolidate 69 nature reserves with the combined area reaching 16,500 square kilometers (deducting the overlaps), accounting for 75.15% of the total area of the national park. It is stated clearly in the official written reply of the State Council that after the establishment of the Giant Panda National Park, other nature reserves in the same regions shall no longer be kept, and the requirements for the management and control of the regions that are not incorporated into the park shall be specified during the work for consolidating and optimizing nature reserves.

　　"Among all the types of nature reserves, national park represents the highest grade that is under the strictest management." According to the person in charge, if a nature reserve completely overlaps with the Giant Panda National Park, it will be incorporated into the park and become a part of the park without keeping the plate of the nature reserve. For example, Wolong National Nature Reserve and Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve will no longer be kept.

　　If a nature reserve partially overlaps with the Giant Panda National Park, the overlap will be incorporated into the park, and the rest will be assessed scientifically based on value and then may be revoked or changed into other types of regions for consolidation and optimization. Thus, there will be only one nature reserve that is managed by one authority under one plate.

　　So far, Sichuan has submitted its plan on consolidating and optimizing nature reserves to relevant national departments.