High-tech methods play crucial role in biodiversity protection

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In January, Cui Shuhong, director-general of nature and eco-conservation at the ministry, said from 2015 to 2020 the country invested 400 million yuan ($61.9 million) in biodiversity surveys and assessments and the construction of a national biodiversity observation network.

The work, involving more than 2,000 researchers, has provided a clear picture of the country's biodiversity situation.

Thanks to those efforts, China now has a preliminary biodiversity monitoring network. With 749 observation areas across the country, the network is capable of providing more than 700,000 pieces of data every year, he said.

In January, Huang Runqiu, minister of ecology and environment, said at the annual national environmental protection conference that the ministry will have the full network ready this year.

The ministry will also launch demonstration programs in key areas for biodiversity protection as it strives to promote biodiversity legislation, he added.

At an event to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5, Huang said China will speed up the construction of a national protected land system with national parks playing an important role. The nation will also accelerate efforts to roll out protection and restoration projects for key ecosystems as well as major biodiversity conservation projects, he said.

The ongoing efforts on biodiversity conversation are starting to pay off.

In Qinghai, the number of Przewalski gazelles, a rare antelope species listed as endangered, has increased from about 300 at the end of the last century to over 2,700, said Governor Xin Changxing at an event in the province's capital, Xining, to mark World Environment Day.

The population of Tibetan antelopes has seen even greater growth, "With a record low population of fewer than 20,000 across the country, its number has now reached over 70,000 in Qinghai alone," Xin said.