Mountainous regions with less economic development should use their environment to their advantage, rather than sacrificing it to develop the local economy, an expert said.

"We cannot follow the development routes of the developed countries and coastal cities in China and achieve rapid economic growth at the expense of the environment," said Zhang Xinsheng, head of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Zhang made his remarks at a news conference in Beijing on Friday to discuss the upcoming Eco Forum Global Annual Conference Guiyang 2013.