Shanghai's forest cover rises marginally to 13%

Shanghai's forest coverage reached 13.13 percent by the end of last year compared to 12.58 percent in 2012, the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said on Wednesday.

The bureau said the target was to reach 15 percent by the end of 2015.

By the end of last year, the forest land area reached 83,246 hectares in the city. Their value in environment functions such as conservation of water resources, soil protection, air purifying and biodiversity protection was 11.6 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) last year, the bureau said.

But compared with the nation's average, which is 20.63 percent, the forest coverage in the city is still very low due to scarce land resources.

The greenery authorities said they will make more evaluation and renovation to lift the forests' comprehensive environment value and optimize their functions.