LHASA, Dec. 31 -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has seen its wildlife population increase in recent decades thanks to protective measures.

The regional forestry department said Thursday that the population of the Tibetan red deer, a species on the verge of extinction, has been growing since the late 1990s, with over 8,300 today.

The majority live in a red deer nature reserve in Qamdo Prefecture. The 120,000-hectare reserve, established in 1993, has seen its population of red deer grow from 1,500 to over 8,000 over the past two decades, thanks to infrastructure construction, hunting bans and red deer rescue centers.

Statistics show that there are currently 47 nature reserves in Tibet, covering about one third of the land within the jurisdiction of the regional government.

Officials with Qomolangma nature reserve said the reserve now has 2,550 species of plants, compared to 2,348 in 1988 when it was established.

Qomolangma reserve, sitting at an average altitude of 4,200 meters, also has 12 species of first class national protected animals and 342 kinds of birds.

Staff with the reserve said there have been more frequent sightings of the snow leopard in recent years, and the increase of wetland has attracted flocks of black-necked cranes, while the area was not a habitat for the bird in the past due to its dry climate.