YANGON, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has designated a new protected public forest area in central Myanmar's Magway Region, its state-run Mirror Daily reported on Saturday.
According to the report, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation had announced the designation of the area of 2,200 acres in Gangaw Township as the Zee Pyar protected public forest.
The move was aimed at fulfilling the needs of local residents, protecting biodiversity and wildlife, and conserving watershed areas, it said.
It added that forest protection will help improve the farming productivity of the local residents.
The Southeast Asian country hopes to establish 30 percent of the country's total area with forest reserves and 10 percent with protected areas, according to the media.
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