Picturesque Qiandao Lake and Chunyang Highway in Hangzhou's Chun'an county. [Photo from China Daily]

HOHHOT, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's ecological competitiveness has increased as ecological indicators continue to improve, an official said at the 9th China Forum on International Ecological Competitiveness on Sunday.

China's forest cover has reached 22.96 percent and the forest stock volume has hit 17.56 billion cubic meters, while grassland vegetation cover and wetland protection rate increased to 55.7 percent and 52.2 percent, respectively, said Hu Zhangcui, an official with the National Afforestation Committee, at the forum held in Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

There are 11,800 natural reserves in China, protecting about 90 percent of the country's typical terrestrial ecosystem, 85 percent of wildlife species, and 65 percent of higher plant communities, said Hu.

Desertified land has decreased by an average of 198,000 hectares per year, and the area of rocky desertification by 386,000 hectares per year, Hu added.

As one of the most representative national conferences in ecology in China, the forum has become an important platform for high-level dialogues and cooperation since 2008.

The forum this year will promote cooperation in green industries with a focus on ecological governance, energy and environment, agriculture and animal husbandry, tourism, and smart economy, as well as accelerate the integration of resources, capital and innovation to promote quality development and enhance ecological competitiveness.