China released on Tuesday an overall plan on the development and management of national parks, which calls for the strictest measures to protect the country's natural beauty and pass it on to generations to come.

By 2020, China will formally set up a batch of national parks and establish a new national department to take charge of the comprehensive management of these parks, according to the plan. By 2030, the system will be further improved and the management more efficient, it said.

As one of the most important areas in natural reserves, the national parks will receive the strictest protection, according to the plan jointly released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, China's Cabinet.