The State Council, China's cabinet, announced the locations of 17 new nature reserves

in seven provinces and two autonomous regions on Wednesday.

The provinces of Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu will host the new reserves as will the Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.

The acreage and functional divisions will later be promulgated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the announcement said.

Nature reserves are an important vehicle, the announcement added, to promote ecological protection and enhance and protect the country's stunning natural scenery.

The establishment and management of nature reserves establish a red line for environmental protection and the nation's ecological security. It is also an effective measure to protect biological diversity, ensure safety of all natural ecological systems and improve the quality of ecological settings, the announcement said.