SANYA, April 23. /TASS/. Chinese ornithologists studied the bird population in Hainan's Sanya urban district and counted 163 bird species in the area, reported the Sanya Daily newspaper.
"The environmental situation in Sanya is getting better and better. For the first time in recent years, such rare birds have been seen here, such as the white-browed heron, the red heron, the little spoonbill and the spoonbill," said Yang Fan, an employee of the city wildlife center.
In biological taxonomy, birds living in this southernmost region of Hainan represent 18 orders and 50 families. Two species of birds belong to the first level of wildlife protection in China, 23 species — to the second. In addition, 29 subspecies of birds discovered by bird watchers in Sanya are found exclusively on Hainan.
"If we properly protect the natural ecological environment, then endangered species will be able to enjoy the necessary space for life, biodiversity will be preserved and animal species will be in a balanced state, only in this case we can talk about a healthy ecological environment," said Yang Fan.
In total, 428 species of birds live on the tropical island of Hainan, of which 121 are under state protection. The arrival of many birds in the province is seasonal and is due, among other things, to the need for wintering. One of the main migration routes of birds from the eastern part of Asia to Australia and West Asian countries runs through this region.
Hainan is one of the richest in biodiversity and the best provinces in China in terms of ecology. At least 161 species of living organisms living on the island are included in the list of wild animals that enjoy special state protection. In January 2019, a pilot zone for the Rainforest National Park was established here. For almost the entire 2020, experts recorded the minimum content of harmful particles in the atmosphere on the island. The local authorities are actively fighting for the conservation of wetlands, which are gradually expanding.