XINING, June 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Nearly 80 experts of forest management from home and abroad arrived in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, to attend a three-day international symposium on Sino-Australian forest resources management in the province, which opened here Tuesday.

    They will exchange views on the implementation of and development of the Sino-Australian forestry resources management program and visit areas where the program is being carried out.

    The Qinghai forestry resources management program is a cooperative program between the governments of China and Australia, with a total investment of 16 million US dollars. The project will be carried out in nine villages of four counties from 2002 to 2007.

    Zhang Li, head of the Qinghai office for the program, said thatthe Sino-Australian program covers the building of governance of forestry departments, the building and management of nursery of young plants, land use programming, and the development of communities and afforestation.

    The project aimed at achieving sustainable environmental development and poverty eradication in program areas, Zhang said.

    Zhang said over the past three years the program has provided professional training for 1,500 officials in the province and more than 2,000 farmers attended training courses on planting techniques and programming of land use. Enditem