Populations of flagship species of wildlife in China have continued growing, and the habitats and breeding environment have been steadily improved, said the National Forestry and Grassland Administration ahead of the 12th World Wildlife Day, which falls on Monday.
The World Wildlife Day was designated by the United Nations in 2013 to enhance awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora. In China, this year's theme is "increase investment in species protection and build a community of life on Earth."
China boasts rich biodiversity, with approximately 3,100 species of terrestrial vertebrates and over 130,000 named insects. The country is also home to more than 38,000 higher plant species, including over 4,000 rare and endangered wild plants.
In recent years, China has constantly refined its legal framework for wildlife protection, implementing nationwide projects for wildlife conservation, advancing the construction of national botanical gardens, and prioritizing the development of a natural protected area system centered around national parks. These efforts have led to a sustained growth in the populations of flagship wildlife species.
The latest monitoring data indicates significant progress in the conservation of key species.
The wild population of giant pandas has increased from around 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900. The snow leopard population has rebounded to over 1,200 individuals. The numbers of Amur tigers and leopards have risen from 27 and 42, respectively, at the inception of the national park system pilot in 2017 to around 70 and 80 each. The Asian elephant population has grown from over 150 to more than 300, while the population of crested ibises has surged from seven to over 7,000 since their initial discovery.
Species like the Hainan gibbon and Tibetan antelope have also shown noticeable growth in their respective population in the wild. Meanwhile, a total of 206 endangered plant species have successfully been reintroduced into the wild, with several plant species having benefited from effective conservation and recovery measures.
Populations of flagship wildlife species in China see steady increase
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on Wednesday, discussing the recent shooting at the White House press dinner, the situation in Iran and the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin said.
The Russian president informed his U.S. counterpart of Russia's readiness to declare a truce with Ukraine for the period of Victory Day commemorations.
Trump voiced strong support for the initiative, noting that "the holiday marks our common victory over Nazism in World War II," said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov after the phone conversation that lasted over an hour and a half.
At Trump's request, Putin described the current situation along the contact line with Ukraine, where Russian troops maintain the strategic initiative and are pushing back enemy positions, said Ushakov.
Putin reaffirmed that the goals of the special military operation will be achieved in any case, the aide said. Russia would prefer this to be achieved through negotiations, for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskymust respond positively to the well-known proposals that have been repeatedly put forward, including by the U.S. side, he said. Russia has handed over more than 20,000 bodies of the deceased to Ukraine, Putin told Trump, adding that Ukraine has returned just over 500 bodies to Russia since the beginning of 2025.
Among the issues on the international agenda, the two leaders focused primarily on the situation in Iran and the Persian Gulf, according to the Kremlin.
Putin viewed Trump's decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran as the right move, as it will help stabilize the situation, Ushakov said, adding that Putin drew attention to the inevitable, extremely dire consequences not only for Iran and its neighbors, but also for the entire international community should the United States and Israel resort to force again.
Russia remains firmly determined to fully support diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement to the crisis, and has put forward a number of proposals intended to resolve differences over the Iranian nuclear program, said the presidential aide.
Ushakov noted that to this end, Moscow will maintain active contacts with Iranian representatives, leaders of Persian Gulf states, as well as with Israel and the U.S. negotiating team.
For his part, Trump also outlined his assessment of the Middle East situation to Putin.
Putin, Trump hold phone call on issues of Iran, Ukraine
