Chengdu's biodiversity gains worldwide notice

Sichuan capital is home to some of China's rarest flora and fauna

Chengdu is internationally renowned as the home of giant pandas, but the iconic bears are not the only attraction the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province has to offer.

A realm of biodiversity, Chengdu is home to 3,139 species of higher plants and 753 species of wild animals, including four species of plants under first-class national protection and 29 species of animals with the same designation. They include rare plants like the Chinese dove tree and Cystopteris chinensis fern, and animals such as the giant panda, golden monkey and Sichuan takin — a goat-antelope.

Chengdu's abundant forest resources and diverse alpine valleys provide flora and fauna with a sound living environment. Lush katsura trees under State protection grow in the Heishuihe Nature Reserve, while rare Chinese dove trees dot the Dujiangyan area of the Giant Panda National Park. Sichuan takin herds wander the Anzihe Nature Reserve, and Tibetan macaques — a member of the monkey family — inhabit Xiling Snow Mountain.