China's national park network yields fruitful results five years on

Five years after their establishment, China's first batch of national parks is continuing to yield fruitful results, with natural ecosystems in key areas showing continued improvement and the populations of flagship species increasing steadily, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

In 2021, the Sanjiangyuan, Giant Panda, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard, Hainan Tropical Rainforest and Wuyi Mountain national parks were officially established after the integration of over 120 nature reserves.

Covering a total of more than 230,000 square kilometers, the national park network incorporated a wide range of ecosystems such as river sources, mountain forests and tropical rainforests into the scope of its protection.

Over the past five years, a host of protection measures were implemented in each of the national parks, resulting in the overall restoration of the regional ecosystems.

Significant breakthroughs have also been made in biodiversity conservation work across the parks. The number of flagship species – including Tibetan antelopes, giant pandas, wild Siberian tigers, leopards and Hainan black-crested gibbons – has all increased. The population of Hainan black-crested gibbons, for example, has grown to seven family groups comprising 44 individuals. This is the only species of gibbon in the world with a continuously growing population.