Explore ecological diversity of Hainan Island on World Wildlife Day

Photo shows blossoms of the Glabrella longipes inside a tropical rainforest on the Hainan Island in south China. (Photo/Lu Gang)

This year’s World Wildlife Day, which is marked annually on March 3 to raise awareness about the world’s wild animals and plants, is being celebrated worldwide with the theme of “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration” this time around. The special day meanwhile is being celebrated in China under the theme of “Paying Attention to Flagship Species, Protecting and Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China.”

Hainan, an island province in southern China, boasts the country’s best preserved and largest contiguous tropical rainforests. A total of 161 terrestrial wild animal species found in Hainan have been put on the list of wild animals under priority state conservation, which was upgraded again in 2021. Of the 161 terrestrial wild animal species, 12 are endemic to Hainan and 23 are endemic sub-species in Hainan.

In recent years, thanks to the improving ecological environment in Hainan and the growing scientific research capabilities of the province, an increasing number of new species have been discovered there. Between 2019 and 2020, nine plant species, five animal species, and five large fungal species were newly discovered in the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park alone.