By Zhang Mingyu

    BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The number of the Tibetan antelopes, an endangered plateau species, has amounted to nearly 150,000 due to the government's effective conservation and large financial input in the protection of the region's environment.

    In recent years, the Chang Tang Natural Reserve of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), an ideal habitation for the antelopes, has been upgraded to be a nation-level reserve at the highest altitude in the world.

Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2007 shows the Tibetan antelopes foraging on the grassland.(Xinhua File Photo/ Hou Mengqiang) Photo Gallery>>>

    With intensified protection for more than seven years, the number of rare wildlife in the reserve has grown: the Tibetan antelopes up by 7.6 percent yearly, the number of Tibetan wild donkeys doubled and the wild yaks up to over 10,000 from thousands.

    By now, 45 natural reserves of different types with an area of 412,600 sq km have been established, accounting for 34.38 percent of the whole land area in Tibet.

    Tibet is one of the regions with the most abundant biological diversity in China. It boasts 789 kinds of wild vertebrates, among which 125 are listed as the national key protected wildlife, making up over one third of the key protected wildlife in the country.

    Data from TAR Environmental Protection Bureau demonstrate that the Tibetan red deer, another species previously considered extinct by international researchers were rediscovered in the 1990s and from then its species group has been enlarging year by year.

    Moreover, Tibet has set up 21 ecological function conservation areas, effectively protecting the local important ecological environment.

China invests 20 bln yuan on ecological zone on Tibetan Plateau

    BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- China plans to invest a total of 20 billion yuan RMB on the construction of the State Ecological Safe Shelter Zone on the Tibetan Plateau during the eleventh Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010), according to the Environmental Protection Bureau of Tibetan Autonomous Region. Full story

Sanjiangyuan sees clear wild animals increase

    BEIJING, Nov. 25 -- With the in-depth Sanjiangyuan ecological protection & construction project and enhancing of public's consciousness to protect wild animals, environment in the vicinity of the Sanjiangyuan Area has been greatly improved while the number of wild animals is picking up. With all-out efforts, Sanjiangyuan is really worthy of the name-"fairyland of wild animal".  Full story