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Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 31 Jan 2022
Screen-grab from CCTV (China Central Television) via CNN
Beijing: There seems to be an anomaly in China's claim of making the Beijing Games the greenest and cleanest in history as it has created the ski venue in the middle of a nature reserve, media reports said.
Chinese organizers say the National Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) from central Beijing, will be 100% powered by wind and solar energy, reports CNN.
According to satellite images and official maps analyzed by CNN, the ski center tears through the former core area of Songshan National Nature Reserve, a park founded in 1985 to protect its dense forests, alpine meadows and rich biodiversity.
As per the American news channel report, the National Alpine Ski Center has been built in the original core area of the Songshan National Nature Reserve.
Songshan National Nature Reserve is known for providing a sanctuary to several protected animals and plant species.
Under Chinese law, nobody is allowed to enter the reserve's core area, except for scientific research with government approval. And a 2007 planning document obtained by CNN made it clear that development within the core area at Songshan was forbidden.