Jul 15, 2010. /Lesprom Network/. The World Bank has approved loans totalling $100 million to five provinces in China, to promote integrated forestry, as Bernama reported. The loans under the Integrated Forestry Development Project aimed to increase diversified forest cover and improve the management of forest resources in Anhui, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanxi and Zhejiang provinces. "While the previous World Bank-supported projects focused on improving timber production and plantation quality and standards, the new project is focusing on piloting solutions in managing forests with significant environment protection functions," said Liu Jin, the World Bank's senior rural development specialist. The new project will create forest cover in areas prone to wind and water erosion, improve the existing plantation forests and turn single-species forests into mixed species forests that are better for the environment. Individual farmers, farmer groups and communities would be encouraged to participate in activities that were expected to bring to them the dual benefits of improved environment and increased incomes, said a statement from the World Bank. A monitoring and evaluation system would be established to measure project implementation impacts, particularly environmental benefits, and generate lessons for other parts of China.