Chinese scientists are in a battle to save one of the last large animal species living in the Yangtze River – and a complete ban on fishing in the region is helping them. At the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan, just 5km (3.1 miles) from the banks of the river, the preserved bodies of the now-extinct river dolphin (baiji in Chinese) and paddle fish sit silently behind panes of glass.
After years of ex-situ conservation, endangered finless porpoises are now being reintroduced into China's Yangtze River! They are learning to swim and hunt in currents, and adapt to ship noises.
Chishui River -- the undammed tributary in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River -- is now a protected sanctuary for endangered fish. What efforts have scientists made? Click to learn more.
Chinese researchers on Wednesday said that they have confirmed the presence of a dugong – one of the oldest marine mammals on Earth and the inspiration behind mermaid legends – in waters off Yongshu Reef in China's Nansha Islands area. This marks the first such sighting in the area and in the central South China Sea over the last three decades.
China's success in finless porpoise ex-situ conservation has reversed international skepticism. This innovation stands as the world's first successful case of small cetacean ex-situ conservation, offering Chinese wisdom and a Chinese model for global conservation efforts.
A Chinese research institute is set to establish a multilingual plant diversity database for Central Asia's arid zones, designed to bridge key gaps in biodiversity data sharing and conservation efforts throughout this ecologically vital region. The initiative, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), is working in collaboration with major research institutions across Central Asia and West Asia.
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