Chengdu's biodiversity gains worldwide notice

With an increase in biodiversity, Chengdu is taking concrete steps to advance management and protection. For protecting wildlife in its western mountainous areas, the city has established several nature reserves such as Longxi-Hongkou, Heishuihe, Anzihe, and Baishuihe to manage and protect different species and their habitats.

In 2021, the Giant Panda National Park was established, spanning three provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. Since then, forests with a total area of 1,459 square kilometers have been placed under the jurisdiction of the park. With vegetation restored, residents relocated and public infrastructures built to leave room for wildlife, the area has been returned to its natural state.

According to the fourth national bear survey, Chengdu is now home to 73 wild giant pandas, accounting for 4 percent of the country's total, while the city's population of artificially bred giant pandas has reached 237, accounting for 35 percent of the national total.

In the eastern sector, Longquan Mountain Urban Forest Park, which covers around 1,275 sq km and is known as Chengdu's "green heart", is another paradise for plants and animals. The park is home to 1,169 strains of higher plants including 21 nationally protected species, and 405 known animal species, including three under national first-class protection and 27 under national second-class protection. The ultra-rare flowering deciduous tree Emmenopterys henryi and the red-billed leiothrix — Chinese nightingale — also inhabit the park.