From crested ibises to pandas, China lights conservation path

As a country rich in wildlife species, China has provided significant support for biodiversity conservation and promoting global ecological development, officials and experts said.

"China emphasizes the construction of ecological civilization, and has made joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind — strengthening wildlife protection and international cooperation that is crucial to that process," said Wang Weisheng, director of the flora and fauna department at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Wang said China's restoration of the once nearly extinct crested ibis population is a "successful model for saving endangered species worldwide".

In recent decades, by providing genetic resources and technical guidance, China has supported Japan and South Korea in restoring crested ibis populations in the wild.

Crested ibises were once widely distributed across East Asia, but were believed to have disappeared from the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and other areas by the 20th century.

In 1981, wildlife experts discovered seven crested ibises in the Qinling Mountains in Northwest China's Shaanxi province. China later gifted several of the birds to Japan and South Korea to assist in saving their populations.