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Great conservation efforts save endangered species from extinction
CGTN
01:27

Great efforts invested in conservation have paid off as some endangered species have seen steady growth in their population.

The crested ibis, an endangered bird, dubbed as "oriental gem" once thought to be extinct, has prospered and thrived in China, with population rebounding to 7,000 worldwide, owing to the country's steadfast and persistent conservation efforts.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list declared the crested ibis as "critically endangered" because of its extremely low population in the 1980s.

The species had seen a sharp population decline due to human activities such as urbanization and pollution.

In 1981, Yangxian County in northwest China's Shaanxi reported seven wild crested ibises, the only wild population spotted in the world.

The local forestry bureau established a special team comprising four conservationists to safeguard the endangered species. They installed protective devices to protect the birds from predators such as snakes and also built a suitable habitat for them in the county.

As the birds mainly live in the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi, the province has built several natural reserves in Qinling since 1965.

Since 1999, commercial logging has been banned in the region, and an environmental protection regulation dedicated to the area was released in 2007.

Apart from strengthening protection methods, Shaanxi has also attempted artificial breeding since the 1990s. The province currently owns two breeding bases, five rescue centers and eight training centers to facilitate the birds' return to the wild. In addition, the province's crested ibis natural reserve is now under state protection.

In Yangxian County only, the species' habitat has expanded from only 5 square kilometers in the 1980s to 15,000 sq km currently, helping boost the numbers of crested ibises to over 3,000.

As for the Siberian tiger, with the establishment of the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park in northeast China, the animal's population has seen steady growth.

Since the trail of this national park in 2017, forests and vegetation have been well protected. This has guaranteed sufficient food for different herbivores, which, in turn, will become the prey of all kinds of carnivores, like tigers.

In this way, a sound food chain has been created in the habitat with Siberian tigers and Amur leopards lying at the top.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)

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