BEIJING, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - China plans to establish its largest national park yet, covering about 10,000 square kilometres (4,000 square miles), in the nation's north west, state media said Sunday.

The Kanas Geological Park, in the remote Xinjiang region, will have its current 1,000 square kilometres expanded tenfold, Xinhua news agency reported.

The result would be 'the world's largest national park,' according to Xinhua.

DUBLIN, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) - Ireland's native red squirrels could be wiped out by their more aggressive grey cousins brought in from England less than 100 years ago, a report warned on Tuesday.

The Irish Squirrel Survey 2007 from the National Council for Forest Research and Development (COFORD) found red squirrels were under threat from the 'dramatic spread' of the greys, and called for their protection.

It found there had been a 'marked decline in the range and occurrence' of the reds.

SCHULMAN GROVE, California, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - They have neither the soaring majesty nor the celebrity of the giant redwood, but in one respect the bristlecone pine is the undisputed king of trees: longevity.

Scattered on a remote mountainside of eastern California, these gnarled, twisted specimens are the oldest living organisms on Earth, the most senior among them some 4,700 years old.

GENEVA, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Max the white stork has begun her annual migration south from the German mountains to her winter nesting place in Morocco, scientists in Switzerland said Monday.

They know this because Max is no ordinary large wading bird -- she has carried a tracking device longer than any other animal and has been monitored by satellite on her last eight return trips.

BEIJING, Sept 9, 2007 (AFP) - A television reporter claims to have discovered China's answer to the Loch Ness monster, state press reported Sunday.

Local journalist Zhuo Yongsheng shot footage of six 'seal-like' creatures in the northeastern Tianchi lake, which local legend has long said is home to Loch Ness-style monsters.

'They could swim as fast as yachts and at times they would all disappear in the water,' the Xinhua news agency quoted Zhuo as saying. 'Their fins, or maybe wings, were longer than their bodies.'

THE HAGUE, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - A Dutch park of natural sand dunes may introduce predators such as wolves or wildcats to control its overpopulation of deer, a local official said Wednesday.

The park's management company, Waternet, 'has made some study proposals. One of them is to introduce predators,' said Marjolijn Goethem, a spokeswoman for the local commune west of Amsterdam where the park is located.

TOKYO, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - Japan plans to build its first artificial reef to respond to the growing number of surfers as more Japanese enjoy kicking back on the waves, officials said Wednesday.

Japan has a vibrant surfing culture, with tanned surfers sporting bleached hair seen even in the coldest months of winter at Shonan beach near Tokyo.

But hardcore surfing aficionados tend to head overseas, particularly to Hawaii, due to the dearth of good waves at home.

HELSINKI, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) - Scientists have discovered a 780-year-old sylvester pine tree, the oldest living specimen known in Finland, a research institute said Tuesday.

The ancient 'pinus sylvestris' was found last year in Lapland during a study mission on forest fires, the Metla tree cultivation research institute said.

Scientists analysed a section of the tree's trunk in order to determine its age.

'The pine is living but it is not in the best shape. It's quite difficult to say how long it will survive,' researcher Tuomo Wallenius told AFP.