Growing number of species being protected (2)

Boats carrying rangers prepare to leave a dock on a tributary of the Yangtze River in Yunyang county, Chongqing, on Dec 31, 2020, for a mission to enforce the fishing moratorium. [Photo by Liu Yang/For China Daily]

More than 5,000 fishermen and 1,250 boats have been redeployed to reduce the influence of human activity on the environment.

Moreover, the reserve has invested 15 million yuan ($2.3 million) to turn about 133 hectares of farmland into wetland.

"Rice that was planted within the region will not be harvested, so it will provide a food supply for the migratory birds," Wu said.

Not only is the avian population growing in Longganhu, but official statistics show that many forms of wildlife, especially endangered species, have registered stable growth nationwide in recent years.

By the end of last year, the total giant panda population was 1,864, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The population of wild Asian elephants－the continent's largest land mammal, which is under first-class protection in China－has also seen stable growth, with 300 recorded last year.

In 1981, Yangxian county, Shaanxi province, reported seven wild crested ibises, the world's only known wild population at the time.

The crested ibis, known as "the oriental gem", was once thought to be extinct as a result of human activities such as urbanization and pollution.

However, as a result of multiple protection methods, the bird's population in China has risen to more than 4,000, according to the administration.

Zhang Zhizhong, head of the administration's wildlife protection department, said, "Several animals that were once extinct in the wild, such as milu deer and wild horses, have now developed their own wild groups thanks to artificial breeding."