China's capital city Beijing is seeing richer biodiversity thanks to the continuously improved ecological environment.

As an important location on the migration routes of a stunning variety of birds, Beijing has seen migratory birds rest in a wider range of places in recent years, including more birds that previously did not frequent the Chinese capital, such as black storks under top-level state protection in China.

Birdwatching enthusiasts in Miyun District of Beijing recently spotted a brahminy kite for the first time ever in the city.

"It's incredible that we could spot a brahminy kite in Beijing. For me one of the most direct feelings from birdwatching in the last few years is that the natural environment in Beijing is getting better and better," said Song Yingying, a birdwatching enthusiast.

During the latest survey, 12 new bird species were found in Beijing, bringing the total number of bird species in the Chinese capital to 515.

In 2022, a total of 3,560 species were recorded in the phased survey of biodiversity in Beijing, and 6,408 species were recorded from 2020 to 2022.

According to the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, the ecological index (EI) of Beijing was 71.1 last year, with a year-on-year growth of 0.4 percent. This was a steady improvement for several years in a row.

EI is a comprehensive index that reflects the urban environmental quality, the function of ecological spatial patterns and the biodiversity status.

A new round of afforestation project carried out from 2018 to 2022 added 1.02 million mu (about 68,000 hectares) of green areas in Beijing.

By the end of 2022, Beijing's forest coverage rate had reached 44.8 percent, expanding the capital's green ecological space significantly, according to the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau.

In the past five years, Beijing built 180 urban leisure parks and 323 small parks and green areas, and 88 percent of residents lived near parks and green spaces within a radius of 500 meters.

"We have planned and built 79 protected natural areas in the vast mountainous areas in Beijing, and effectively protected over 90 percent of key wildlife and their habitats. Currently, Beijing has a total of 608 species of terrestrial wild animals, and 2,088 varieties of wild plants. So Beijing is building itself into a Biodiversity Capital," said Gao Dawei, Party chief of the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau.

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