China releases updated biodiversity database

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China has recently released an updated version of the national species database, known as the Catalogue of Life China 2024 Annual Checklist, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said Thursday.

The list recorded a total of 155,364 species and subspecies, up 6,690 from the 2023 figure.

The work on this updated database began in 2008 with the aim of illustrating the annual biodiversity conditions in the country and fostering biodiversity research and conservation efforts, said Ji Liqiang, an official of the CAS Biodiversity Committee.

The list was jointly compiled by researchers from the Institute of Zoology, the Institute of Botany, the Institute of Microbiology, the Institute of Oceanology and the Chengdu Institute of Biology under the CAS as well as other institutions.