HOHHOT, July 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has designated more than half of its land area as ecological protection "red line" zones to help strengthen ecological security in northern China.

The "red line" zones cover 596,900 square km, accounting for 50.46 percent of the region's total area. They include grasslands, forests, and wetlands, according to the region's natural resources bureau.

Strict management will be implemented in these zones. Development projects that break the natural ecological balance or exceed the carrying capacities of the environment and resources will be banned, said the bureau.

Rich in natural resources, Inner Mongolia has established 182 nature reserves of various levels and planned to set up 24 land remediation and ecological restoration projects, so as to enhance carbon sink capacity and ecological value of the resources. Enditem