May 22 marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, with this year’s theme being “Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development.” In recent years, through the establishment of a nature reserve system with national parks as the mainstay and the implementation of wildlife and plant protection projects, China has seen steady growth in rare and endangered wildlife populations, continuous improvement in habitats and breeding environments, and notable achievements in biodiversity conservation. At present, more than 200 rare and endangered wild animal species nationwide have entered a stage of recovery and growth, and over 100 endangered wild plant species have received emergency protection. The latest results of the 2024 national simultaneous waterbird monitoring show that the total number of wintering waterbirds in China reached 5.059 million, the highest figure ever recorded in nationwide monitoring.
Asian Elephant Photo by Shen Qingzhong
In recent years, China has steadily advanced wildlife and plant protection, accelerated the building of a nature reserve system with national parks as the mainstay, released the list of important terrestrial wildlife habitats, and organized the protection, restoration, and monitoring system construction of wildlife habitats and in-situ habitats, creating favorable conditions for the survival and reproduction of wildlife and plants. China has actively promoted the protection of flagship animals, integrated and established national protection and research centers for flagship animals such as giant pandas, Asian elephants, and crested ibises, strengthened scientific and technological support for flagship animal and ecosystem protection, and organized emergency protection projects for 48 critically endangered wild animal species, including field protection, rescue and rehabilitation, artificial breeding, and release into the wild, thereby promoting the growth of wild populations. China has continued emergency protection for 50 critically endangered wild plant species and 100 wild plant species with extremely small populations, and organized the reintroduction of nearly 40 rare and endangered plant species into the wild, effectively easing the pressure of extinction on wild populations. Meanwhile, China has continuously intensified migratory bird protection. The Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China have been included on the World Heritage List. China has implemented the China Action Plan for the Protection and Restoration of Migratory Bird Flyways, advanced the construction of bird flyway protection and monitoring systems, and safeguarded the safety of migratory birds. It has also given full play to the interdepartmental joint meeting mechanism at all levels for combating illegal wildlife and plant trade, continued special enforcement campaigns such as “Online Shield” and “Clear Wind,” organized local patrols to remove traps and nets in mountains, and cracked down on illegal hunting, consumption, and wildlife and plant trade across multiple links and the entire chain.
Lake Area and Greenhouse of the China National Botanical Garden Photo provided by the China National Botanical Garden
China has coordinated in-situ and ex-situ conservation of wildlife and plants, and actively promoted the development of national parks and national botanical garden systems. Biodiversity in Sanjiangyuan National Park has continued to increase, with the Tibetan antelope population recovering from fewer than 20,000 in the early 1980s to more than 70,000. Giant Panda National Park, spanning Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, has connected 13 ecological corridors for giant panda populations and effectively protected more than 70% of wild giant pandas. Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has initially established an integrated sky-ground full-coverage monitoring system, with more than 70 wild Siberian tigers and over 80 wild Amur leopards. In Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, the Hainan gibbon population has recovered to seven groups with 42 individuals. In Wuyishan National Park, a number of new species, including the Wuyi brown frog and Wuyishan spikemoss, have been discovered. Since its establishment, the China National Botanical Garden has newly collected more than 5,000 accession numbers and 2,800 species of living plants, including 110 national key protected plant species and 65 rare and endangered plant species. The South China National Botanical Garden has newly collected more than 8,500 accession numbers and 4,202 species of living plants, including 285 national key protected plant species and 469 rare and endangered species.
Wuyishan National Park Photo by Huang Hai
Next, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration will accelerate the building of a nature reserve system with national parks as the mainstay, actively promote the promulgation of the National Park Law, and, in accordance with the principle of “establishing one when it is mature,” strictly review and prudently establish new national parks in an orderly manner. It will further improve the ex-situ conservation system composed of botanical gardens, germplasm resource banks, wildlife rescue and breeding bases, and other facilities, orderly establish new national botanical gardens, and build a number of national protection and research centers for flagship animals. It will implement major biodiversity conservation projects, focus on rescuing key endangered species, promote the recovery and strengthening of wild populations of endangered species, continue actions against illegal wildlife and plant trade, and comprehensively strengthen biodiversity conservation.
Source: WeChat Official Account of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration