China is set to use more technological innovations in ecological protection efforts and build more national parks over the next five years, according to Huang Baorong, director of the national park and nature reserve research center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institutes of Science and Development.
On Friday, China officially unveiled the outline of the 15th Five-Year (2026-2030) Plan for national economic and social development, which focuses on comprehensively promoting the construction of the nature reserve system.
Huang said that the comprehensive advancement of the nature reserve system places an emphasis on the high-quality development of national parks, the construction of a new type of nature reserve system, and the strengthening of wildlife protection.
All of these require enhanced technological support, such as strengthening the construction of an integrated "air-space-ground" monitoring network, to achieve refined and intelligent management and provide comprehensive support for species conservation, said the expert.
"Technologies are being used to offer 'smart protection' to the most precious natural heritage in the digital age, leaving future generations with natural treasures that can be checked, traced, inherited, approached, and enjoyed. At present, the creation of a new batch of national parks is progressing steadily. China aims to build the world's largest national park system by 2035," said Huang.
China to intensify tech-driven ecological protection, expand national parks in 2026-2030: expert
