Environmental restoration projects in Shaanxi province's Qinling Mountains were not conducted in a timely manner, a central government inspection team has revealed, urging provincial government departments to better shoulder their environmental protection responsibilities.

The Qinling Mountains are a geographically important north-south boundary in China and home to more than 2,600 plant species and 300 animal species, including giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys.

In the last couple of decades, the mountains have attracted many investment projects due to their rich natural and historical resources, dotting the area with hundreds of small coal and mineral mines.

In December 2019, the provincial government banned all prospecting and mining activities in key protected areas of the mountains and told enterprises already established there to gradually leave.

"After 169 mining companies departed, environmental restoration was conducted slowly," the inspection team told the provincial government. "The target of restoring 1,000 hectares of abandoned mines by 2020 has yet to be achieved."

It said 64 tailings ponds in the area have not been closed as required, while the soil and rocks removed from some abandoned mines are illegally occupying nearby forests or grassland.

The inspection team also noted other environmental problems in Shaanxi, such as the illegal use of underground water and pollution along the Yellow River due to the improper treatment of pollutant discharges from nearby mines and factories.

"The provincial government should maintain a firm attitude to safeguard Qinling, the biosafety barrier in northern China, and put environmental protection work into practice," the team said.

It also stressed the important role environmental protection along the Yellow River plays in the country's high-quality development and urged the provincial government to better perform its duties in protecting water resources.

"Cases involving dereliction and neglect of duty should be investigated and treated seriously," it said. "Compensation for environmental damage or public interest litigation shall be handled in accordance with relevant provisions."

Inspection teams also released reports recently on environmental problems found in the provinces of Guizhou and Heilongjiang, and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. They included illegal use of farmland, water pollution, illegal exploitation of natural resources, and illegal logging and occupation of forests or grassland.

The four provincial-level areas were told to make detailed reform plans and send them to the State Council, China's Cabinet, within 45 working days. The reform plans and feedback on their implementation should be publicized, the teams said.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced on Tuesday that a second round of central ecological and environmental protection checks has been launched. Five inspection teams will carry out one-month environmental protection checks in the provinces of Hebei and Jiangsu, and the Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.