China's national parks see growing population of key wildlife species

China has made huge progress in the construction of national parks over the past three years, notably with the growing populations of key wildlife species.

Saturday marks the third anniversary since the establishment of the first batch of national parks in China.

Spanning a protected land area of 230,000 square km, these parks, namely Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and Wuyishan National Park, are home to nearly 30 percent of the country's key terrestrial wildlife species.

At the Giant Panda National Park, which spans three provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan, the population of giant pandas in the wild has risen to around 1,900 with the implementation of a series of protective measures. Additionally, over 8,000 species of plants and animals, including golden monkey, snow leopard, yew, are also well-protected within the national park.

Situated in northeast China's Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park spans over 14,000 square km.

The latest monitoring data shows that the number of Siberian tiger and Amur leopards in the park has increased from 27 and 42 at beginning of trial operations in 2017, to around 70 and 80, respectively.

The park has also traced eight tiger families and ten leopard families inside the park, and is seeing a clear upward trend in cubs survival rate.

"A mother tiger with three cubs has an energy requirement nearly twice that of an adult male tiger. Only when prey is abundant can female tigers and leopards reproduce successfully. It is precisely because of the stable breeding of these tiger and leopard families that their populations continue to grow rapidly," said Kong Weiyao, a researcher of the Scientific Research and Monitoring Office of Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park.

The population of Tibetan antelopes and snow leopards at Sanjiangyuan National Park has risen to more than 70,000 and 1,200, respectively. Meanwhile, the population of Hainan gibbons, a rare primate that lives in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, had risen to 42 from less than ten in four decades.

Over the past three years, the diversity, stability, and sustainability of China's ecosystems have steadily improved. At Sanjiangyuan National Park, the source areas of Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers are well-preserved with the improvement in general ecology and environment quality.

The past three years also saw the construction of a batch of livelihood projects including ecological relocation and the building of model villages. Nearly 50,000 residents have been employed as ecological conservators to help the construction and operation of national parks.

"A number of major livelihood projects have been implemented alongside with the construction of the national parks, so people's income is increasing and people's sense of gain and happiness has been enhanced," said Zhang Limin, Director of the Nature Reserve Management Department of National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

China's national parks see growing population of key wildlife species

As the Spring Festival, which falls on January 29 this year, draws near, demand for festive decorations, particularly lanterns, is reaching a peak in China. 

In Xiuning County of east China's Anhui Province, traditional handcrafted lanterns are seeing a significant surge in sales.

At a lantern factory, workers are busy making a variety of red lanterns, known for their bright colors and beautiful designs. Recently, these traditional lanterns have experienced a boom in sales, with local businesses reporting a sharp increase in orders and a doubling of their sales volume.

"Now we're in the peak season of lantern production. We have increased the production lines from six to eight. We are working overtime every day, producing more than 4,000 lanterns per day. In one month, the number is expected to reach hundreds of thousands, more than double the usual amount," said Liu Penghui, general manager of a light decoration company in Huangshan City.

In addition to traditional lanterns, innovative designs have also gained in popularity.

Among the most sought-after are LED lanterns, which create dynamic light effects and have a three-dimensional feel. 

These modern lanterns are especially favored by younger consumers, prompting many local businesses to expand their production capacity to meet the growing market demand.   Meanwhile, in Nanchang City of east China's Jiangxi Province, a renowned dragon lantern production base is also witnessing a surge in both domestic and international orders.

With over 50 workers involved on the production line, the factory is operating at full capacity. 

More than 100 finished dragon lanterns are produced daily on average. 

The factory has received over 3,500 orders in the month prior to the Spring Festival, accounting for more than 30 percent of the annual total.

"Many orders were placed at the end of the year, and we now are working overtime to produce them," said Shi Kebin, a dragon lantern craftsman.

While preserving traditional techniques, local manufacturers have continuously innovated, breathing new life into this ancient craft.

"We updated the old version at the end of 2024. Based on the original structure, we use engineering plastics to replace the bamboo. It is lighter. Besides, there is no danger of being infested or smelling musty," said Shi.

Festive lantern sales soar as Spring Festival nears