Upper Yangtze Ecoregion, China

Area: 280,696 sq. mi. (727,000 sq. km)
Provinces included: 12
Although North American in origin, the proverb “after the feast comes the reckoning” can be applied to a predicament facing modern China. With 1.3 billion citizens using chopsticks, an eating utensil that dates back more than 3,000 years and that’s usually made of wood, the country was watching its forests disappear at an alarming rate. Taking a step toward conservation, the Chinese government has responded by applying a 5 percent tax, beginning in April, on the tens of billions of these ubiquitous disposable implements that are produced annually from birch and poplar trees. Much of China’s commercial logging occurs in the southwestern area of China known as the Upper Yangtze Ecoregion. The region supports a diverse range of flora and fauna, including the giant panda.

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