Conservation efforts boost population of wild flora, fauna

Volunteers and students release a rescued brown hawk-owl during a biodiversity education activity in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Thursday. The 26th International Day for Biological Diversity fell on Friday. WANG HAIBIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

China is witnessing a paradigm shift in biodiversity conservation efforts — from damage control to systematic restoration — with the threat levels of nearly 500 species of wild flora and fauna downgraded and more than 300 rare and endangered species reporting steady growth in population.

Huang Runqiu, minister of ecology and environment, said this progress can be attributed to the nation's continuing endeavors to intensify its conservation mechanism by implementing a series of major projects and strengthening a full-chain protection system, which encompasses monitoring and assessment, an early-warning system for risks, and restoration management.

He made the remarks when addressing an event in Chongming, Shanghai, to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity, which fell on Friday.

The minister cited a 10-year fishing ban introduced in 2021 in the Yangtze River basin as an example, noting that 351 fish species endemic to the basin were observed as of the end of 2025, which is 43 more than the number of species recorded before the ban.

China has established an ecological quality monitoring network comprising 214 comprehensive monitoring stations and 16,400 monitoring plots, essentially covering all county-level areas, he added.

In a media release on Friday, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration listed a series of rare and endangered species that have shown "a positive trend of recovery and growth".

Last year, three newborn Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus) — the world's rarest primate species — were spotted in the South China province, bringing the total population of the species in the wild to 44. "It has become the only gibbon population in the world to register continuous growth," the release said.

Two snow leopards (Panthera uncia) reintroduced in the Helan Mountains, which border the Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions in northern China, have been observed to successfully mate, with the female giving birth and raising their cubs in the wild. This marks a breakthrough in the conservation of the endangered species, according to the administration.

Abies beshanzuensis, a species of rare fir endemic to East China's Zhejiang province, has increased from just three trees when it was discovered in 1963 to more than 4,000 trees, it said.

The administration particularly highlighted China's avian conservation efforts, saying the nation has brought 94.5 percent of bird species under protection by identifying 1,140 important habitats along migratory bird flyways and selecting 821 key habitats for comprehensive protection and restoration.

Speaking at the Chongming event via video link, Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said that China's experience demonstrates the level of sustainability that can be achieved through expanding protected areas, implementing strong legislation and applying innovative strategies such as the Ecological Conservation Redline.

The China-proposed ECR offers a way to protect biodiversity at remarkably low cost.

Andersen highlighted how China has advanced protection of species and ecosystems at scale. The populations of endangered species, such as giant pandas and snow leopards, are recovering in the wild, while the Yangtze River fishing ban is restoring biodiversity and rebuilding ecological balance, she said.

"Equally important is China's leadership in implementation. As one of the first countries to align its national biodiversity strategy with the global framework, and through initiatives such as the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, China is supporting actions across developing countries and across diverse ecosystems," she added.