Ecology and wildlife conservation were one of the major issues at the National People's Congress, China's largest political event, in Beijing, earlier this year, and President Xi Jinping said he was quite pleased to learn that the wildlife of Jilin province has been returning, especially rare species, after hearing a provincial report, and that good ecology was one of its strongpoints.

Siberian tiger in the Changbai Mountain area, Jilin province [Photo provided to China Daily]

Siberian leopard in the Changbai Mountain area, Jilin province [Photo provided to China Daily]

The province has 41 nature reserves and Siberian tigers and leopards can be seen in its eastern part, while spotted deer and the white crane have also returned. At the end of last century, there were only six Siberian tigers and three leopards known to be living in the province, but now, after years of wildlife conservation, there are 27 tigers and 42 leopards.

One good example of the reason for this is the Momoge national reserve, which has seen clear increases in wildlife over the years, and in 2012 had 3,809 white cranes, or about 90 percent of the total for that species around the world. Other rare species in the reserve that are returning are the Siberian musk deer, spotted deer, black bear, and wild boar.

Xianghai Nature Reserve, in western Jilin, home to many bird species, such as the red-crowned crane. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The forestry department says it is doing more to save the ecology, with the head of the department, Lan Hongliang, saying the ban on tree cutting in nature reserves has helped protect rare species, and that the province will build three new nature reserves in the near future. It is also planning to set up an HD Infrared camera system to monitor wildlife movements, and cooperate with frontier forces to ensure the free migration of wildlife near the Russian border.

Red-crowned cranes dancing above the water in the Xianghai Nature Reserve [Photo provided to China Daily]

Poaching has also been banned in the area and public awareness has been raised. Another wildlife protection measure is 'ecological immigration', which means that the local government has a fund of more than 4-billion yuan ($645 million) to get people living in the nature reserve to resettle outside so tourists can see rare species in their natural habitat.

Wild geese habitat in the west of Jilin province [Photo provided to China Daily]