Fauna and flora that enjoy improved protection on the plateau

Tibetan antelope

Medium-sized animals native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, they live in the harsh conditions that dominate at 4,000 to 5,500 meters above sea level, a zone known locally as "the area forbidden to mankind".

Tibetan antelopes feed on forbs, grasses and sedges, often digging through snow to obtain food in winter.

Their natural predators include wolves and snow leopards, while red foxes are known to prey on young calves.

In the 1980s and '90s, the Tibetan antelope became an endangered species as a result of excessive poaching. They are hunted for their extremely soft, light and warm underfur, which is used to weave luxury shawls.

In 1997, the central government established the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve solely to protect the Tibetan antelope population.

According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the number of wild Tibetan antelopes nationwide has risen from about 70,000 in the late 1990s to more than 300,000 now.

Last year, the status of Tibetan antelopes in China was downgraded to "near threatened" from "endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

The animal is under level-one national protection, the highest level in China's List of Wild Animals under State Priority Conservation.