Shanxi acts to expand biodiversity

North China's Shanxi province held a press conference on April 12 for this year's "Bird-Loving Week", revealing that after years of conservation efforts, various rare bird species have been spotted across Shanxi, enhancing the province's biodiversity remarkably.

Over the years, Shanxi has actively implemented national projects involving natural forest protection, returning farmlands to forests, and controlling sandstorm sources in the Beijing-Tianjin area. Thanks to this, the province's forest vegetation coverage has significantly increased, while its rivers, lakes and wetlands have been effectively preserved. The habitats of wild animals have been further improved, leading to a steady growth in the province's wildlife population and plant variety.

Furthermore, the province has been committed to the construction of a wildlife and plant protection system. It has established 272 nature reserves, covering a total area of 2.44 million hectares. At the same time, Shanxi has formulated and publicized a list of protected wildlife and plant species, identified 40 important migratory bird passage areas throughout the province, and improved its legal system for the protection of wildlife and their habitats.

A survey shows that Shanxi is currently home to a total of 543 species of wild animals, including 428 species of birds. Of the bird species, 22 are under first-class national protection, 72 are under second-class national protection, and 133 are under provincial protection.