On a wing and a prayer

Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

In 1981, it was thought that there were just seven crested ibises left on the globe. Fast forward to today, and the population of these "oriental gems" has ballooned to nearly 7,000 in the city of Hanzhong, Shaanxi province.

The achievement is the result of decades of dedicated conservation, expanding the footprint of this once-critically endangered species to 13 other provincial-level regions across China, with a global total population surpassing 11,000.

Just three days after the rediscovery of the crested ibis back in 1981, a "Four Prohibitions" notice was issued, banning activities such as hunting, tree felling, the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, as well as blasting and reclamation in areas where the birds live, feed, nest and breed, recalled Li Jie, deputy head of Yangxian county government.

Yangxian is administered by Hanzhong.

In a news conference on May 13, Li said that for over four decades, Yangxian has implemented strict measures on ecological conservation, including shutting down polluting factories.

To date, the county has designated 2,800 hectares of protected areas for the crested ibis and established 126 monitoring sites, she said.

According to the Hanzhong government, the efforts to conserve the species have yielded both ecological and economic benefits.

The city has seen a significant improvement in biodiversity, with the number of terrestrial wildlife species increasing from 618 at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period to 684 today.

Thanks to its ongoing conservation efforts, Yangxian has experienced a significant boom in its organic food industry.

A total of 115 organic products across 15 categories in the county have obtained organic certification, and organic farmland covers over 13,300 hectares.

Yangxian has also built the largest organic industrial park in Northwest China, home to 52 enterprises. The park's total annual output value exceeds 10 billion yuan ($1.46 billion), with the organic industry contributing 5.5 billion yuan.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn