Yesterday (March 3) marked the 11th World Wildlife Day. Reporters learned from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration that in recent years, the populations of rare and endangered species in China have achieved steady growth. Among them, the wild giant panda population has grown from about 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 today. The wild Hainan gibbon population has increased from only 2 groups with fewer than 10 individuals 40 years ago to 6 groups with 37 individuals today. The crested ibis has increased from 7 birds at the time of its discovery to more than 10,000 today. The wild Tibetan antelope population has recovered from 60,000 to 70,000 in the late 1990s to more than 300,000 today. The wild Panzhihua cycad has increased to 385,000 plants, becoming the natural cycad community with the largest natural distribution area, the largest number of plants, and the most concentrated distribution in Eurasia. At the same time, China has also continued to carry out the wild reintroduction of 206 endangered plant species, including the Debao cycad and the apricot-yellow paphiopedilum.

　　Monitoring by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration shows that currently, 65% of the country's higher plant communities and 74% of key protected wild animal and plant species are effectively protected, and more than 300 rare wild animal and plant species have achieved restorative population growth.