Endangered crane population surpasses 10,000 in Tibet

The population of a critically endangered crane has continued to increase in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, thanks to enhanced conservation efforts in recent years, said a recent press conference.

Black-necked cranes fly in the Lhasa River valley in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)

Tibet currently has more than 10,000 black-necked cranes, a significant increase from less than 2,000 reported in the last century, according to the statistics revealed at a press conference on the achievements in biodiversity conservation in Tibet held on Sept. 27.

Statistics also indicated that Tibet is currently home to more than 9,600 species of wild plants, 1,075 species of endemic plants and 383 species of rare and endangered wild plants.

Efforts in enhancing wildlife protection have gradually paid off. By the end of 2020, five new species had been officially published during the second national survey of terrestrial wildlife resources in Tibet. Furthermore, numbers for most species under protection in Tibet have recovered significantly.

For instance, the population of Tibetan antelope soared from 70,000 at its lowest point during the last century to more than 300,000 today. Meanwhile, the population of wild yak rose to more than 20,000 today from only several thousands in the preceding century.