Myanmar's government has designated a new protected public forest area in western region Sagaing's Katha district.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation last week designated the area of more than 550 hectares as "Gahe-2" protected public forest, in Katha's Indaw Township.

The move is aimed at conserving watershed areas for farmland for local residents to meet their daily needs and protecting biodiversity, according to the ministry.

On the land in this area grow varieties of Myanmar hardwoods and there are large pasturelands for wild animals.

The Southeast Asian country expects to establish 30 percent of its total area as forest reserves and 10 percent as protected areas, according to local media reports.