Wild animals thrive as environment improves

The Ministry of Natural Resources is accelerating the establishment of a national spatial planning system－a 15-year project for the use of natural resources, which prioritizes environmental protection.

Thanks to these determined efforts, the populations of some endangered wild species in China have risen steadily.

Zhang Zhizhong, head of the forestry and grassland administration's wildlife protection department, said for example that Assam macaques, Siberian ibex and Burmese pythons have seen stable population growth.

The number of giant pandas reached 1,864 by the end of last year after decades of determined efforts to protect the animals' habitat, Zhang said.

The crested ibis, an endangered bird known as "the oriental gem", which was once thought to be extinct due to human activities, has also witnessed stable population growth, with numbers rebounding to more than 4,000.

In addition, several wild animals once extinct in the wild, such as milu deer and wild horses, are now thriving again thanks to artificial breeding.